Devil of Evangelion
by gunman
Summary: An accident when he was younger results in Shinji becoming a blind crimefighter, only to return to Tokyo3 years later and become both Eva pilot and superhero to the city. Chapter 11 up now.
1. Devil vs Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own Eva, it's characters, or the characters of Daredevil and Bullseye.

Author's Note: I am wrapping this story around the Daredevil movie, but still trying to keep with the series events and timelines. I also had to fudge the timeline a little to give Shinji a more believable character structure. Since this is an alternate universe story, I figure no one will get mad.

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_**DEVIL OF EVANGELION**_

by Gunman

**Chapter 1**

THE DEVIL vs THE ANGEL

Shinji's POV

It has been said that your perception determines your reality. Basically this means that how you see the world will enable you to change it as you will.

Of course, when you're blind that's not an easy thing to do.

My name is Shinji Ikari. I lost my sight when I was 4-years old. That was painful enough, especially since the last images I remember seeing are of my mother dying and my father abandoning me. The day my father left me in the care of one of my teachers, was the day everything changed. A truck that was carrying hazardous waste materials lost control while taking a sharp turn. One of the canisters had a lid loose. Some of the chemicals flew from the canister, directly splashing my eyes and only my eyes, causing me to forever lose my sight.

When I woke up, I couldn't see a thing. But I could hear everything. Every bird outside, the wind blowing through the trees, and the heartbeat of an old man sitting next to me.

"You are awake, young one." the man said.

"Who are you? Where am I? What's happened to me? Why can't I see?" I asked him. Even a 4-year old can sound serious.

"My name is Okina. You are in my home."

"Why can't I see?"

"You're sight has been taken from you. An accident in the city. Your teacher has given you to me in order that I will be able to help you deal with your new position."

_Abandoned once again,_ I thought. "I can't see. I can't see!" I cried.

That was when Okina's niece came in. Her name was Misao. She was maybe twelve years old, but still very kind. When she saw me crying she came over to me and held me. I was too upset to notice a strangers arms around me. But it was comforting.

I cried all night, and the next day, I began my training.

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It had been fifteen years since I had lost my sight. Fifteen years since I had come to live with Okina and his niece Misao. Actually I should say granddaughter. However, Okina insisted that Misao be called his niece since it made him feel younger. Being blind, I really couldn't tell.

At any rate it was time for me to leave. I had received a letter from my father saying that he needed me in Tokyo-3. All my expenses were paid, so there was little trouble I'd make it.

I said farewell to the place I had called home for fifteen years, and left for Tokyo-3.

The place where all my troubles had started.

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Oddly enough, when I arrived at the station, no one was there to greet me.

I felt a tinge in the back of my mind. Someone was on the street, but I didn't hear anyone. It felt a little familiar, and then it was gone.

_Who was that?_

Then I felt it. A heavy thud.

It wasn't an earthquake. The pattern was too regular. It sounded like...footsteps!

Something buzzed overhead, a windstorm was in one forceful direction. It sounded like a jet engine or multiple ones.

Missiles.

They impacted on something far away. I could see the impacts from the sounds they made. They struck something large and mobile. The impacts showed me the outline of the thing they were firing on. It looked like some kind of giant, the shape was humanoid, but it only had three fingers and it's head was sunk down into it's body. It's face didn't even look human, which is what I suspected.

The military kept firing at the creature, but they were having no effect on it. That was when I heard another unusual sound. It was very loud and it was easy to get out of the way as it screeched to a halt right in front of me. A door opened and a strange voice called to me.

"Shinji! Get In! Hurry!" the woman's voice said.

I didn't argue and just got inside. It wasn't too difficult. The car's engine was making so much noise that finding the door was rather easy.

I got in and the car sped off, away from the fighting.

Normal POV

_He's blind? How the hell did we miss this?_ Misato thought as she drove down the road at high speed. _And I sent him that picture of me in a skimpy tank-top and cutoffs with an arrow pointing to my boobs_. She thought with some shame and disappointment.

They pulled up somewhere as the N2 Mine exploded. The Angel was in the middle, but it wasn't damaged too much and was healing now. Misato's car, however, wouldn't make such a recovery.

"Alright...push!" Misato said as Shinji put his shoulder into the car and pushed. The pair easily got the vehicle back onto it's wheels in one shot. "Thank's Shinji. You're pretty useful."

"I should thank you, Ms. Katsuragi."

"Aw, Misato's fine. Well, Shinji Ikari. It's good to finally meet you."

"Same to you." he smiled.

Once the car had it's battery replaced, the pair were on their way.

"Don't worry. His safety is my top priority. And could you get an express elevator ready? Thanks." Misato said as she hung up the phone. _I wonder if I should have asked if anyone knew about Shinji being blind? Right, with Shinji right next to me? That's so insensitive._ Misato was finally able to get a good look at Shinji. He was about 5'9", maybe 125 lbs, according to his file he was 19 years old, short spiky brown hair, and although his file said he had blue eyes, they were currently covered with red-lense sunglasses. "You know, no one told me you were..." she tried delicately to say.

But he interrupted her. "Blind as a bat?"

_Well, at least he said it._ "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"You didn't say it, so no harm. Where are we going?"

"To your father's agency. NERV."

"NERV." he repeated. "Never heard of it."

"It's a top secret agency controlled by the UN."

"And I'll be working for my father." he said, it was not a question.

"Well, yeah. You do know what your father does, don't you?"

"Not really. I never received any letters until he sent for me." _Summoned is more the word_. "Does he know about my...condition?"

"I'm not sure. It shouldn't be a problem, though."

"He didn't want me when I could see, he probably won't want me now." he huffed, gripping his walking cane tighter.

_Oh, Shinji_. "Sound's like you don't get along with him." Misato said.

Shinji didn't respond as the car drove into the underground base and headed down.

_At least he didn't ask me about the batteries I 'borrowed' from those other cars. I wonder, does his father know about this? _

"So, Shinji? When did you lose your sight?"

"Actually, it was right after my father left me with my teacher. I was four."

She gasped. "Four! You poor dear."

"I've gotten used to it."

"You know, I didn't know you were blind, or I would have gotten you a more appropriate manual." she said as she handed him a book. _Why did I hand him the book? He can't read it. _

Shinji took the manual and ran his fingers over the cover.

"'NERV. God Is In His Heaven, And All Is Right With The World.' Weird title." he said.

Misato was shocked. "Huh? How did you know that? I thought you were blind."

"Am I scaring you?" he said with a wicked grin.

_A little_. "No, I just thought you needed braille or something to read."

"You'd be surprised at the tricks you pick up when you're blind."

"Such as..."

"Sorry. The first thing they teach you, is never reveal your secrets."

"What are you, a magician?" she looked at him unbelieving.

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The pair descended into the bowels of NERV and took the mobile walkways for several minutes.

"We're lost, aren't we?" Shinji asked.

Misato laughed lightly. "Well, don't worry. Every path leads somewhere."

"Why am I not buying that?" he asked rhetorically.

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Dr Ritsuko Akagi had just gotten out of the LCL tank and was changing out of her wetsuit when she heard the speakers announce that Misato Katsuragi was looking for her.

"Oh, God! Is that idiot lost again?" she grumbled as she got out of the tank and grabbed her coat.

She headed down several halls until she intercepted the pair in the elevator. When she found them, she got right in Misato's face.

"Hi, Ritsuko." Misato slightly cringed.

"Why are you wasting my time, Captain? Don't you know we're short-handed?" she nearly growled.

"Sorry." the purple-haired woman faintly laughed.

Ritsuko sighed as she then noticed the young man next to her. Her eyes went wide as she gasped. "Is this..."

"Yup. This is Shinji Ikari. According to the Marduk Report, he's the Third Child."

"Misato...he's blind." Ritsuko whispered to Misato.

"But not deaf." Shinji said, causing the blond woman to blush. He hadn't been looking at them, but it was clear who he was talking to.

"Uh, I'm sorry. It's just that no one informed us of your..."

"Condition? I'm getting that a lot today."

"At least you're in good spirits about it." Misato said.

"I've had fifteen years of practice."

"Fifteen years? But that means...you've been blind since four." Ritsuko said.

"Good math, Ritz." Misato chuckled.

The doctor lead the pair to the cages where Eva Unit 01 was being held.

"This is mankind's salvation. The synthetic life-form, Evangelion." Ritsuko said like it was practiced and then regretted it as she remembered half her audience was blind.

Shinji extended his walking cane and approached the gigantic robot. He struck his cane against the giant robot, the sound reverberated across it Eva and the room.

His first impulse was to jump back, but held his position. "It sounds big." he said.

"Hello, Shinji! Long time no see." a gruff and unfriendly voice said over the loudspeakers.

"You can say that again." Shinji said as he turned around, and his father noticed the obviousness of the situation.

"You're blind!" Gendo Ikari said, surprise evident in his voice.

"You're obviously not."

He picked up a phone and spoke. "Rei, our spare is unusable. You will do it again."

"I understand." a weak voice said. But Shinji caught it.

"Rei? Who is Rei?" he asked Misato.

"Rei Ayanami. The First Child." Ritsuko answered. "She's going to pilot."

"Pilot What?" Misato called out. "Unit 00 hasn't been freed from cryo-stasis." she then looked at the large, purple Eva. "You can't mean...You're going to activate Unit 01? But Rei hasn't fully recovered yet."

"There's no other choice. We can't have a blind pilot controlling Unit 01." Ritsuko said.

Rei was wheeled in on a stretcher. Shinji felt something familiar as she was brought in.

_Rei Ayanami. So, that's her name_. He thought, giving a name to the presence he felt earlier.

Suddenly, the entire base shook. The Angel was on the move. Girders broke loose from the ceiling and fell towards Shinji and Rei.

"Shinji, Watch Out!" Misato shouted, forgetting again he was blind.

However, Shinji just stepped to the side as the girders landed right next to him. He didn't even get scratched.

_Amazing. He got out of the way so casually. He doesn't even look scared_. Misato thought.

Another girder broke loose and fell towards Rei. Shinji sensed it and immediately threw up his hand. Suddenly, the giant hand of the Evangelion emerged from the LCL and blocked the beams before they hit Rei.

Gendo was shocked, but then smiled.

"Unit 01 moved on it's own!" a new voice shouted over the communication system.

"But that's impossible! The entry plug isn't even inserted." Ritsuko said.

"It's Shinji!" Misato stated.

Shinji raced over to Rei's side and cradled her in his arms. He could hear her heartbeat and felt her shivering. She gasped in pain.

"Father! Let me pilot!" Shinji shouted.

"Are you sure, Shinji?"

"Unless you have another pilot who isn't injured?"

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Shinji's entry plug was filled with LCL. His senses went into overdrive. The feeling of the strange liquid surrounding him sent his skin tingling as if it was mild static electricity. But the smell was even worse. It was coppery and all around him. It was overpowering almost. He was glad he didn't have lunch, otherwise he'd have lost it.

"God. Why does it smell like blood in here?" he asked through the communicator.

"It's the Link Connection Liquid. We use it to connect the pilot to Eva. We can't do anything about the smell because the chemicals we use would be less potent." Ritsuko said.

"Sempai!" Maya Ibuki shouted as the readouts came up. "His...his synch ratio is 75.9"

"What? That's impossible!" Ritsuko said as she went over and examined the data. "Unbelievable. It took Rei eight months to synch with her Eva. Who is this kid?"

"EVA LAUNCH!" Misato Katsuragi shouted. _Shinji, please come back alive._

The purple Evangelion launched out of the elevators and hit street level, just a few blocks from the Angel itself.

"Shinji! Just concentrate on walking." Ritsuko said through the com.

However, Shinji bent down and used the robots hands to feel the ground.

"Huh? What's he doing?" Makoto Hyuga asked from his terminal.

"It looks like he's feeling the ground." Shigure Aoba said next to him.

Shinji then lightly tapped his fists into the ground.

"Is he playing the drums, or something?" Maya asked, obviously confused.

Suddenly, the Angel lunged forward and attacked him. As if he could see the creature coming, Shinji blocked the first blow, grabbed its arm and using that as a distance reference, threw an uppercut to it's face, so to speak. The blow stunned it enough for Shinji to reel back and kick it hard in the gut. The kick knocked it back several blocks. Shinji stood his ground as the Angel got back to it's feet and attacked, but Shinji grabbed its arm and threw it over his shoulder a half-mile distance.

Everyone in the Control Room was stunned.

"Whoa! He's blind and he can fight like that?" Aoba asked.

"With a synch-ratio over 70 when he first got in? That's incredible." Hyuga said.

"Where did we get this guy?" Maya asked.

The staff kept talking as they simultaneously watched Shinji deflect blow after blow, then leap into the air and throw a roundhouse kick that knocked it back down. He piloted Eva like he had done it for years, his control astounding everyone.

"Such balance. Such precise movements. Are you sure he's blind, Misato?" Ritsuko asked.

"As sure as I am that you're not a natural blond." Misato shot back.

She grimaced. "That was cold."

Suddenly, a massive explosion sounded through the city.

"What happened?" Misato suddenly turned to the monitor.

"The Angel...it self-destructed." Maya said incredulously.

"It couldn't beat Shinji, so it blew itself up? Talk about a sore loser."

"Unit 01 is coming out of the explosion." Hyuga said.

Everyone looked up to see the image of Unit 01 come into focus as the blast died down. They were shocked to see that Unit 01 was walking out of the blast and had only minor damage.

"Hmm. Your son certainly is full of surprises." Sub-Commander Kouzou Fuyutsuki said.

"Indeed. He may be worth keeping around after all." Gendo said with a lite grim smile.

Misato heard this and frowned. _First he sends him away, then he calls him back after 15 years, then he doesn't want to use him because he's blind, and now he wants to keep him because he did good. God, some father._

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After Shinji had gotten out of the Eva, he reported to Misato who had his living assignment all ready for him. Of course, being blind meant that he had to have someone live with him. Misato heard this and immediately volunteered. Shinji didn't argue, since he had no intention of living with his father. And naturally, his father didn't put up a fight for custody.

"You're what?" Ritsuko nearly shouted into the phone.

"I said, Shinji's going to live with me. It's already been approved." Misato said into the phone. "And don't worry, I'm not going to put the moves on him." she said coyly.

"HOW DARE YOU! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'D EVEN CONSIDER SOMETHING LIKE THAT! OF ALL THE NERVE, I JUST CAN'T..."

"Geez. It was a joke, Ritz." Misato grumbled to herself as she held the phone away from her ear.

Off to the side, Shinji was just smiling.

Before the pair headed to the apartment, Misato stopped by the store to get a few food supplies. She wanted to have a party to welcome her new roommate. After they got the food they headed to an area that Misato wanted to show him. It wasn't until they reached the lookout that Misato realized that what she wanted to show him was impossible, since he was blind. But Shinji didn't say anything.

As they overlooked the city known as Tokyo-3, the multitude of buildings rose up out of the ground. Shinji just appeared to be staring out over the city and smiled.

Misato wondered what he was smiling at.

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When Shinji and Misato got back to their apartment, the first thing Shinji noticed was the smell.

"WHOA!" he gasped as he stepped back, nearly falling over.

"Shinji! Are you alright?" Misato cried out in concern.

"I...I'm sorry. The smell, it's..."

"Oh, yeah. I just recently moved in. And it's a little messy."

_A little?_ He thought. The combination of liquor bottles, empty beer cans, trash bags, TV dinner trays, food scraps, and what he probably figured were feminine hygiene products, assaulted his senses like a cannon blast. He was barely able to keep conscious.

_Damn. Should have figured. His other senses have to be overcompensating for his blindness. Then again, I'm used to it._ Misato frowned slightly.

"Are you sure I'm not going to be intruding?"

"Shinji, I told you, this is your home now."

"Home." Shinji whispered as he guided himself into the apartment.

"Welcome home, Shinji." she said as the door closed behind him.

Shinji got settled in and after a not-so-good dinner, comprised mostly of instant food, Shinji was introduced to Pen-Pen, Misato's warm-water penguin. After brief introductions, Misato suggested that Shinji take a bath and wash his troubles away. Shinji didn't argue.

After a few minutes, Misato remembered that she hadn't put out any new towels and went to replace them.

"Shinji? I forget to put in some new towels, so I..." she said as she entered the bathroom to find a bare-naked Shinji standing before her. She stopped cold and blushed fiercely as she noticed his body. He was lean but athletic, each muscle well-defined. His glasses were off and she could see that his pupils were very lite blue, almost transparent, a sure sign that he was blind.

"Misato? Is something wrong?" Shinji asked.

"Uh, Shinji, I...uh, no, no problem. I just forgot to give it to you...I mean, the towel! I forgot to put out for you...New Towels!" she fumbled with the words as she handed him the towels and quickly went outside. "Uh, they're right here on the wall next to the shower. Well hung, I mean hung here! Uh, that's..."

"Oh. Thank you Misato." Shinji said as she left.

Outside, Misato was blushing furiously.

_What the hell was that? My god, for a teenager he's got an incredible body. I've never seen anyone with that kind of physique._ Suddenly her mind replayed something else she had seen. The scars on his body. They weren't too noticeable, but they were there. Various sizes, but spread out all over on his torso, legs and arms. _Geez! Even my old boyfriend was never that ripped. God, I need a beer!_ She thought and went to the kitchen.

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Authors Notes:

Well, what did you think? This is my first attempt of crossing Shinji with a superhero. I'm pretty sure no one has done anything with Daredevil so I thought I'd give it a shot. Also, and I don't know this for sure, but from what I have heard, the Japanese consider blind people as more of a burden than American people do, so I'm trying to downplay that a bit.

Also, while Daredevil was a lawyer in the movie and comics, I didn't think deviating Shinji from his musical talents would be an easy thing to do. Not without a deeper understanding of law. And if Japanese do tend to keep blind people at arms length it would be hard for Shinji to get a job as a law clerk.

Furthermore, I am well aware of Shinji's depressed mental state and lack of confidence, but I am playing this up with Shinji being trained as a ninja for fifteen years, who taught the boy to be fearless. So there will be none of the usual anxiety that Shinji would normally go through. I know I'm probably cutting the series in half with this, but I'm sure I'll come up with something else.

I'm hoping to put in more action scenes later.

Please, read and review. (Feedback welcome)


	2. Explanation

**Chapter 2**

EXPLANATION

Shinji's POV

I slip into the bathtub and let the water form around me. As I soaked in the warm liquid I couldn't help but think back to when I first became blind.

When I lost my sight, I was taken in by Okina and his 'niece' Misao. I would forever be grateful to them for what they had taught me.

Okina himself was an aging ninja master, and his art was a dying one. Misao was his only real pupil. Which also made her his only serious one too. Until I came into the picture. Being four-years old and blind to the world was bad enough. But the accident had changed me. Given me something new that I didn't understand. My skull ached for a week before I knew what it was. I had gained something in place of my sight. I could see things even though my eyes didn't work.

I told Okina and Misao about this, but they didn't really know what to make of it.

It wasn't until a year later that Misao finally was able to deduce what had happened. The chemicals that had doused my eyes had taken my sight, but now my sense of hearing gave off a kind of radar sense. I could see things as long as they made a sound. Just an outline, a silhouette of sorts, but they never lasted too long. However, it was long enough for me to get a bead on them. Misao jokingly gave it a nick name. She called it: Shadow World.

I couldn't think of anything else to call it, so the name stuck.

Okina and Misao focused my senses through training. Everyday was a new test and a new lesson. With Misao as my 'training-partner', I learned to hone my skills and abilities to a razor-perfection. I learned to sense the world around me, but it was my sense of hearing that was most incredible. Since sound gives off vibrations, and reverberates off various objects, my new radar sense allowed me to see the sound bouncing off virtually any object it struck.

But my other senses weren't dull. They all functioned with superhuman accuracy. An acute sense of touch gave me strength and balance. A heightened sense of smell and taste gave me the ability to identify virtually anything, no matter how minute.

Focused by my ninja training, as well as Misao's weekly excursions into town, my senses became even sharper. As my training progressed, and my control became stronger, my confidence also grew. I wasn't scared anymore. I wasn't worried. I even let Misao hit me during training so that I would get used to it. Being afraid of something like that would only hold me back.

Like Okina said, 'you can accomplish anything, if you are not afraid'.

I learned how to fight, how to move and think. How to avoid being seen by others, even though I was blind myself. They taught me how to be silent and how to hit objects without really seeing them. But I was taught other things as well. Besides being taught to fight, I was also trained in morse code and especially braille. But Misao insisted that I take up music as well.

They made for me special weapons that were disguised as a walking cane, but could become either nunchucks, escrima sticks, and even a grappling hook with a steel cable. Misao even made me a red leather costume. For some reason she liked playing dress-up, especially with a blind kid. However, the outfit she created for me, wasn't bad. It was leather so it would protect fairly well. She told me it was red, so I had to take her word for it. She had even included a mask for me.

A mask with horns on the forehead.

When I asked her about the horns, she said that she got the idea out of an old comic book.

I sweat-dropped right when she said that.

Then it happened.

I was 15 years old and out with Misao. She had insisted on taking me to a movie, even though I couldn't see the screen. I obliged her, and even Okina had insisted on me going out.

When we got back to the dojo I could hear Misao's heart pounding like thunder. She raced me back into the house where we found Okina. I could hear his heartbeat slowly start to fade and then stop. I could hear Misao crying as she knelt next to him. I stayed with her the whole night, tears streaming down my cheeks as well.

I didn't need to have anyone tell me what had happened. I could feel the knife in Okina's chest as I bent down to check him. But the strange thing was the red rose I found next to him.

Okina never kept roses around the dojo. He was allergic to them. Obviously this was a clue as to who had murdered my master. But it wasn't enough.

Misao and I tried to find out who had attacked Okina, with no luck.

After that our training became much more serious and focused. We went out every night to knock heads with every criminal scum we could find. We were determined to find our masters killer and avenge him. However, after four years we were beginning to wonder if we would ever find him. We kept our ears open for anything, any news of the mysterious rose-leaving assassin, but nothing.

Then I received a letter from my father. After fifteen years I was being called back to Tokyo-3.

I decided to take the opportunity, only because I knew I would have a better chance at finding my masters killer in a larger city.

Misao agreed and helped me pack.

I left the next day and within a few hours I was in Tokyo-3 in time for the Angel attack.

And now that I was here, I had a new purpose.

Synchronizing with the Evangelion was easier than I expected. Actually, I hadn't expected to synch with it so well, or even at all. But it was like second nature, as if the presence I felt inside the Eva was so familiar, I couldn't help but be in tune with it. Right when I felt that, I had this... premonition I guess you could say, that there was more to Eva than just a large piece of machinery. Like it was a living being. An extension of myself.

I had certainly felt the pain of that, 'Angel', exploding right in my face.

I finished my bath and dried off, turning the bath over to Misato. She seemed really nervous for some reason. Not that I could understand. Being blind I wasn't self-conscious about my appearance, so I didn't care if someone saw me naked.

As Misato took a bath I got familiar with my new room. There was a sign on the door that said, 'Shinji's Room'. I'd have to change that later. Maybe something like, 'Lovely Suite'.

Maybe later.

Misato came to my room later as I got settled in, and told me that I did a good job. A truly amazing job considering I was visually handicapped.

I didn't acknowledge her, figuring it best to just pretend I was asleep.

I waited for Misato to go to sleep. Once I heard her snoring, I decided to get up and surprise her. I decided to clean up the apartment. Since I was blind it took a lot longer than it normally would have. One of the lessons Misao and Okina had taught me, was how to clean up after myself. I was taught how to differentiate between trash and basic household items. I started in the kitchen and then moved to the living room. I picked up all the trash and took it to the garbage chute just down the corridor. I then cleaned up the kitchen, scrubbing it down and at the same time got familiar with it.

It was midnight when I finished. But I was too excited to sleep, so I decided to get to know my new neighborhood better. I step out onto the balcony and closed the door, dressed in my red leather suit, the mask over my face. I inhaled the scent of the city before I leaped into the night.

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Authors Notes:

I realize that this chapter is a little short, but it's more of a summery of Shinji's life with Okina and Misao. I tried to tie it into Daredevil as much as possible, without making it sound too much like the movie.

Don't worry, I'm planning to have more action and adventure in later chapters. I've got them planned out, I just need to write them.

Please read and review.


	3. The Devil Comes to Tokyo3

**Chapter 3**

THE DEVIL COMES TO TOKYO-3

Disclaimer: I do not own EVA or Daredevil.

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Two weeks after the Angel/Eva fight...

(Hikari's POV)

My name is Hikari Horaki.

Growing up as the pigtailed, freckle-faced girl throughout most of school, I've always wanted attention. I wanted to be recognized as an attractive woman, not an authority figure. Being the class representative in Junior High didn't help too much, but it was successful in getting people to notice me. That changed during High School when I blossomed at a rather accelerated rate. Even my family was shocked. I started wearing my hair down, my freckles cleared up, and my figure filled out, all in the same year. Before I knew it, I was getting dates all the time, so much so that I had little time to be as responsible as I did back in Junior High.

I had finally become the woman I wanted to. The woman people paid attention to.

However, this kind of attention, I didn't need.

"Hey, baby, where you going?" the tough looking punk said.

"She looks good enough to eat."

"You said it."

"Excuse me, but I need to get home." I said to them.

"Oh, we'll get you home, baby." the fourth one said as he grabbed my arm.

"Let me go!" I shouted as the punks surrounded me.

Then next thing I know I'm dragged into the nearby alley. One of the punks was holding my arms as another one covered my mouth while his buddy was clutching at my blouse. He ripped it open, exposing my C-cups within my satin bra. My struggling wasn't doing any good. Another dig to my not taking that advanced self-defense class my sister told me about.

However, before things could get nasty,

"The lady said, let go." a deep voice suddenly sounded from the shadows.

We were at the end of the ally, which was blocked off my a large fence, and the only light was the entrance to the alley, a large dumpster in the middle of the alleyway against the a wall. Looking around, no one saw anything. There was no sound, and it seemed as if we were hearing a ghost.

"Who said that?" one of the thugs shouted.

"I won't tell you again, let, the lady, go!" the voice said again as a figure landed just beyond the light of the alleyway.

"I don't know who you are man. But you mess you me, gonna wish you was fighting the Devil!" the thug said as he drew a switchblade knife and flicked the blade open.

"That's interesting." the voice said as he stepped into the light.

Everyone, including myself, gasped.

"Because I am the Devil!"

Without another word, he threw something that looked like a red stick at the thug who had ripped my blouse open. It struck him in the head, must have been his eye, because he let out a sharp yell and dropped his knife, recoiling as he landed against the fence.

His three friends forgot about me and attacked the man in red.

What happened next was incredible.

The devil man touched the wall of the alleyway as the trio attacked. Faster than I expected a person to move, he leaped away from the wall and kicked the closest of them to the ground. He ducked the fist from the second thug and sprang up to punch the third thug in the jaw.

He went down as the second thug who had thrown the first punch managed to wrap his arms around the devil man's chest, pinning his arms. The first thug who was kicked, got back up and landed a punch to the devil man's face.

One punch, but he didn't seem fazed. Before the second punch could be landed, devil man's arms flew up and freed himself from the second thugs grip. As his arms went up, he went down, causing the second thug who was holding him to get punched and fall backwards. The first thug who was doing the punching was shocked, moreso when the devil man sprang up and threw an uppercut that apparently had enough force to send him into a flying backflip, landing him on his face and stomach.

The thug who had been struck in the face by the red stick was up and coming at the devil man. He then pulled a small pistol from his jacket. Not very impressive, but it could still kill someone.

He cocked the hammer. Before I could say anything the devil man, without turning to face him, threw something through the air. It ricocheted off the walls of the alley before striking the thug in the head, knocking him out. The gun clattered to the ground as whatever it was that hit him flew back and was caught by the devil man.

The other three thugs got back up and attacked, one picked up a rusty length of chain, the second had grabbed a piece of lead piping, the third had picked up the knife their apparent 'leader' had dropped. They lunged at him, but he evaded them like it was nothing. The devil man's stick suddenly broke in two, but it was apparently still attached by a wire or something. Quicker than a flash of lightning, the devil man swung red nunchucks at the thugs, striking their bodies in different places, but with incredible force. His target areas seemed to be their heads and torsos, but he also hit their legs as well. Halfway through the beatings, they had dropped their weapons.

In less than a minute it was over, and all three of them were sore and groaning in pain on the ground. Then, one-by-one, I watched as the devil man, picked each of the thugs up and deposited them into an open dumpster that was nearby. He piled them one on top of the other.

The fourth thug, the who had gotten hit first, got up and attacked the devil man from behind. His response was to throw his fist back and nail the thug in his face, dropping him hard to the ground. The devil man then picked him up and tossed him into the dumpster with his friends.

"Who...who are you?" the fourth thug asked weakly.

Devil man just looked at them. He didn't even grin. "Tell all your friends about me. Tell them...the devil has come to Tokyo-3."

He then slammed the dumpster lid down, and locked the heavy bar in place.

All this time I had been watching the fight, I had forgotten that I was exposed to the world. It was when he turned to me and asked if I was alright, that I remembered to close my blouse.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Thank...you?" I said as I noticed that he was gone. _Where did...it's like he just vanished...into thin air._

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(Normal POV)

"I'm telling you it was incredible! I'd never seen anything like it!" Hikari Horaki said to her friend as they stood in the Tokyo-3 University's administration office.

Her friend, Mana Kirishima was gathering up some important documents to take to class, as was her job as the class rep. Naturally, she was a little skeptical.

"Hikari, are you sure you weren't drinking again?"

"Mana, I wasn't drunk, alright! I mean I've heard about him, but I didn't think I'd actually see him! The Devil Man is real!"

"Hikari! You're starting to sound like Kensuke. Talking about urban legends, or government cover ups and conspiracies. It's not exactly healthy. 'Devil Man', 'Red Oni', 'Daredevil'. No one's sure what to call this guy, if he even exists."

"Trust me, he exists. And you something Mana? I wouldn't expect other people to believe me, but I thought you at least..."

"Hikari, I do believe you about getting attacked, and someone came to save you. But 'Daredevil'? It's a little much."

"I'll have you know wearing a costume is a good way to keep people off-balanced and confused. Heck isn't that why bankrobbers wear strange outfits, so nobody knows what to expect?"

"Geez, now you sound like that Toji guy you used to date."

Hikari groaned, realizing Mana was right. One of the first people Hikari had started dating upon entering high school was Toji, her long-time crush. But she quickly lost interest in the jock when he started getting interested in crime-stuff. How criminals think and act, even about their costumes and crazy outfits to confuse police and the public. Mostly to scare them. And now here was a vigilante, she supposed, who had come out of nowhere and saved her, all while dressed in a red devil suit. She started to think that maybe Toji was right.

_Ugh! There was a bad thought_. She mentally addressed herself. "Wait. You're actually settling on a name? I thought you didn't believe in him." she teased.

"If we're going to give this urban myth a proper name, it should be something dramatic, something that's heroic, don't you agree, Ms Damsel-In-Distress?" she teased.

Hikari only glared.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Outside the office...

"Are you feeling alright, Shinji?" Misato asked as she guided the boy to the office.

"Of course, Misato. I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night." Shinji said as he allowed himself to be lead into the admit office.

_I could help you with that_. Misato mentally said, then chided herself for her thoughts. _God I am not this desperate! Am I?_ "Oh, here we are." she said, turning the young man into the office.

As Shinji entered the office, he was suddenly struck by a familiar presence. A scent he remembered.

_Someone's here. Someone from last night._

"Hello, I'm Mana Kirishima, class representative of class 2-A." the girl with short red hair said.

Misato bowed. "I'm Misato Katsuragi. I'm here to enroll a new student." she said as gestured to the young man beside her.

Hikari and Mana just stared at the blind boy.

The redhead started. "Please to meet you, I'm..."

"Mana Kirishima. I heard." Shinji interrupted her as he held out his hand. "I'm Shinji Ikari."

Mana shook it as Hikari soon replaced Mana's hand with her's in his grip.

"Hello, I'm Hikari Horaki." she said to the blind young man. _Kinda cute._

_So that's her name._ "Pleased to meet you. I just moved here."

"Meet us? But you can't even..."

"Hikari!" Mana hissed. "He's just being polite."

"Oh, right." Hikari blushed.

Mana ignored the comment and addressed Shinji. "We heard we were getting some new students this week. They didn't tell us you were...were..."

"Without sight?" he said, cutting her off again.

Mana flushed. "You must get that a lot."

"You could say that." he sighed. "I know most Japanese universities have a hard time with blind kids, so I'd just like to say that I'm sorry for being a bother."

"Oh, don't worry about that, Shinji." Hikari said. "You're not going to be a problem, unless you're a troublemaker."

"Something you know about." Mana mumbled under her breath.

Hikari ignored her and turned to Misato. "And you are?"

"Misato Katsuragi. I'm Shinji's guardian."

"Please to meet you, ma'am." she said as she held out her hand.

_Ma'am_? She thought, unreceptive to the older term as she shook the brown-haired girls hand. She shrugged it off as she remembered the real reason for their visit to the office. "I'm here to enroll Shinji in school, and see if the school will provide him an escort."

She suddenly blushed, realizing how that sounded.

"Uh..that's not what I meant!"

Hikari and Mana looked at her strangely, while Shinji just turned his head to his guardian.

"You mean you want someone to show Shinji around the school grounds since he can't himself." Mana explained.

"Uh...right." she said. _Great, I intentionally come off sounding like a pervert_.

Mana suddenly grinned, widely. "Actually, my duties as class rep keep my pretty busy." she said as she looked over the class roster. "But Hikari doesn't have anything to do."

"Mana!" she suddenly shrieked.

"And you're in class with us, Shinji, so it's perfect." she said as she handed Misato the class roster. "And while you're showing Shinji around, you can tell him all about how you were saved last night by Daredevil!" she winked as she left the office.

"Why you little----" Hikari stopped cold as she noticed Misato and Shinji looking at her. "Uh...haha. Would you like to start with home room?" she asked Shinji.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Class 2-A, the next day...

"Hey, Toji, what's the problem?" Kensuke Aida asked as his jock friend lumbered into class.

"I was visiting my sister in the hospital. For some reason she was out of the shelter when that thing attacked. God, dad was pissed at me." Toji Suzuhara replied to his computer geek friend.

"Why?"

"Because I was supposed to be watching her."

"She's like, what, fifteen? She's not a kid anymore."

"Well, it's not all my fault. It's that damn pilot of that freaking robot."

"But he killed that thing."

"But he's not dead, so I have to blame someone for this."

The geek rolled his eyes. _Boy never did learn to take responsibility for himself_._ Even when he and Hikari broke up._ "Dude, a robot the size of an office building isn't exactly nimble, you know."

"You're point?"

Kensuke sighed, realizing he wouldn't get it through Toji's thick head. He tried something else.

"Hey, have you heard the rumor?"

"What rumor?"

"There was another 'Devil Man' sighting last night. And word is, Hikari saw him."

Toji cocked a skeptical eyebrow at his friend. "You and your urban myths." he scoffed, not really caring about his former girlfriend's involvement. "So what do you know about this robot pilot?"

"Well, rumor is the pilots supposed t be our age. And we have been getting a couple new transfers this last couple weeks."

"Again: you're point?"

"I think maybe one of these new peoples is the robot pilot. Wouldn't that be cool?"

Toji gave him a dull look, but Kensuke swore he saw a flicker of interest. "Yeah right. So, who's new?"

"Well, there's this guy over in class B-2. Think his name's Saotome or something."

"Hmm. Anyone else?"

"Just that blind kid over by the window." he said as he pointed to the new student with his chin.

Toji looked over to see Shinji sitting patiently at his desk, reading a book written in braille. What he didn't notice, however, was that Hikari Horaki, his former girlfriend, was now sitting next to him.

He cocked an eyebrow. _No way they'd let a blind kid pilot a freaking big robot. Saotome, you are so dead!_

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

After school, nurses office...

"What are you mad at me for? How was I supposed to know the guy was Ranma Saotome, the martial arts champion from Neirma?" Kensuke asked as the jock with the black eye glared at his friend with his good eye.

Suddenly, the alarms sounded.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji was suited up and ready to go. He had gotten his new plugsuit when he had begun training not a week ago. Several of the female techs had noticed how good Shinji looked in his skin-tight suit, which left nothing to the imagination. Misato was a little perturbed at this. Since her encounter with Shinji in the bathroom after the first Angel battle, she was more careful about catching him unaware. More from the fact that it had turned her on, and she was worried what might happen if she totally lost it. Not a good thing since he was blind and she was his guardian, and he was more than ten years her junior.

Shinji's training had gone fairly well, though there were times he kept questioning why a blind man should use a gun. Dr Akagi had said that since they had already built the weapon, he should try and make use of it. Misato eventually realized that this was ridiculous as well and managed to get her friend to put some hand-to-hand weapons into the works.

Currently they were working on a sword, a pair of tonfa's, and a lance.

However, for now, Shinji had to contend with his rifle and Prog. Knife.

"Shinji, just follow our guidance, alright?" Misato ordered.

Understood Misato he called back from Unit 01's cockpit.

The gigantic eel-like Angel reared itself up, its tendrils whipping around like paper caught in a breeze.

"Shinji, gun up, turn to your left 25 degrees!"

Shinji made the turn and pulled back on the trigger. The rifle spewed out giant sized bullets at the Angel, but as they struck it's AT-Field, the bullets exploded, turning to smoke.

"Shinji, damn it! You've hidden it with your smoke."

I can't see it anyway, Misato! he said off handedly.

"Neither can we!" she retorted.

Fortunately, Shinji didn't need to see the Angel. He could hear it, it's tendrils shooting out to lash at him. However, they only got his gun as he leaped away just in time.

_How did he do that?_ Misato thought as she watched the screen.

Shinji continued to hop around the city, dodging the Angel's tendrils as he went.

"Shinji! We're sending you another rifle!" Misato shouted.

That didn't work last time, why would you want to do to it again? 

"He does have a point, Misato." Ritsuko smirked.

Suddenly, the Angel let out a nearly deafening shriek. The whole of NERV immediately covered their ears in sudden pain.

Shinji on the other hand, because he was closer, and had heightened senses to boot, was in agony.

"AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" he screamed as he held his hands over his ears, thrashing around in his seat.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Outside the bunker on the hillside...

"I don't believe this! He's losing!" Toji said as his buddy Kensuke was filming the battle.

Kensuke had convinced Toji to help him get out of the bunker so that he could witness the fight. Toji wasn't so sure that was a good idea, but his friends incessant eventually won out. However, the pilot of the giant robot losing was the least of their problems.

"TOJI! KENSUKE! What are you doing out of the bunker!" Hikari screamed at them.

"Hikari? What are you doing out here?" Toji asked.

"Mana sent me to find out what was taking you two so long!"

"Why didn't she come?" Kensuke asked.

"Because she's watching the rest of the students who are supposed to be down in the shelter! Now what are you doing here?" Hikari repeated.

"Ducking for cover! Run!" Kensuke shouted as both Toji and Hikari looked over to see a purple giant flying towards them.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The Angel's shriek had been enough to 'disable' Shinji, causing it to wrap it's tendrils around his Eva and toss the blind pilot into two buildings before it launched him across the city and into the hill where one of the bunkers was.

"What the hell? What happened?" Misato shouted.

"Isn't it obvious? Shinji's blind, so his other senses have to overcompensate for that. The Angel's shrieking must cause him pain."

"Didn't do us much good either." one of the computer techs, named Hyuga, mumbled, still rubbing his ear.

"Fine way to find this out!" Misato groaned.

"Like your gun idea was any better?" Ritsuko muttered.

"You built the damn thing!"

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji was shaken. He tried to sit up as his radar sense told him two things. One-the Angel was advancing on his position. Two-there was someone else nearby. He could hear it. He turned his head towards the ones closer to him, 'seeing' them sitting between the fingers of his EVA. He didn't recognize them right off, but one of them seemed familiar.

But Misato did.

"Hikari? What the hell? And those guys! They're Shinji's classmates!" the director of operations shouted as the computers identified the trio.

"Why the hell aren't they in a shelter?" Ritsuko asked.

"Don't know."

Misato, what do I do about them? Shinji called back. The Angel's right on top of me! he shouted and everyone in NERV saw the Angel looming over the Eva, it's tendrils whipping at it.

"How did he know they were there?" Ritsuko asked.

Uh, your speakers are open. ARGH! he said simply, grunting as he blocked the Angel's attack.

"Oh." the blond blushed a little.

"Shinji! Open your entry plug! Let them inside."

_At least they'll be safer than outside_. He thought as he complied. Right. 

"Misato you can't do that!" Ritsuko shouted.

"I can, and I did!" the lavender-haired woman shrugged her off.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji popped open the entry plug as Misato shouted over the Eva's speakers.

GET INSIDE! NOW! the trio heard her shout.

The trio responded as they instantly climbed aboard the Eva's hand, which brought them up to the white entry plug.

The first thing they noticed, however, was the liquid they were stepping in.

"God, what is this? Water?" Toji gasped.

"My camera!" Kensuke shouted.

"Relax, it's breathable." Shinji said.

Hikari was the first one to recognize the voice. _What? It's him! But what's he..._ she didn't finish her thought as the door to the entry plug closed, the small room filling up with LCL.

"Geez, it's cramped in here!" Toji grumbled.

"Are you guy's alright?" Shinji asked as Hikari wormed her way towards him.

"Uh, sure." the girl said.

"Fine." Kensuke and Toji both exclaimed behind her.

"Good. Now sit back and hang on!" Shinji stated as he thrust the controls forward.

"Hey! Watch the hands!" Hikari shrieked.

"Sorry!" the pair cried in unison again.

That had distracted Toji and Kensuke from noticing who the pilot was. Hikari on the other hand was just a bit worried.

We're using auxiliary batteries to distract the Angel. Retreat to evac-tunnel 4. We'll guide you! Misato's voice sounded over the intercom.

"Can't do that!" Shinji called back.

What? Why not? You're carrying civilians, for crying out loud! 

"And they're safer with me than outside! I'll handle this!"

You're power cable was cut when the Angel threw you into the hill. Right now you have less than a minute left! You have to get out! 

"I can't!"

Why not? 

Before Shinji could answer, the Angel lurched forward and wrapped its tendrils around the Eva and pulled it forward. Misato say and gasped. No way to escape now, Shinji managed to right himself, somehow finding his footing, and leaped towards the Angel itself.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Back inside NERV...

"Sempai! Shinji's synch ratio! It's gone over 90!" Maya shouted.

"What?" the shocked blond shouted as she looked at the readout.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji struggled within the Angel's tendril grip. He couldn't pull back, or get loose in time. But he could go forward. He pulled the Prog Knife from his shoulder pylon and jumped straight towards the Angel. His senses zeroed in on the core, and he plunged the knife as deep as he could.

His power suddenly died, as did the Angel.

The emergency light came on as Shinji leaned forward, physically exhausted from the fight. Hikari leaned forward and wrapped Shinji in a hug.

"It's alright, Shinji. It's alright." she said to him.

"Oh, my, god. It's the blind kid from school?" Kensuke shrieked.

"Okay, the blind kid has a name!" Hikari chided the bespectacled boy.

"What? You were expecting a normal person to do this kind of job?" Shinji grinned, turning his face towards the stunned pair.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it! I can't hit a blind kid! Oh, god, this is so unfair!_ Toji thought to himself.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Damn it Shinji, how could you disobey orders like that?" Misato grumbled.

"He didn't have a choice Misato." Ritsuko said. "You saw what happened. The Angel was shrugging off our missile barrage. And with Shinji wrapped up by those tendrils, he couldn't get away. He had no choice."

Misato sighed in frustration. "Guess I can't blame this one on insubordination, can I?"

"More like Angel intrusion. But still, there's something I've been wondering about."

"What?"

"If he's physically blind, how did he manage to plant that knife directly in the Angel's core, in one shot? It was all he had, and with less than a minute, he still did it."

"What do the Magi show?" Misato asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Except that his synch ratio was nearly 100."

The pair were lost deep in thought for several seconds, before turning to each other with wide eyes.

"Wait, you don't think..."

"Maya! I want every and all pieces of data you can summon up and routed to my workstation, now!" Ritsuko shouted as she raced to the computer terminal to help her assistant out.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Author's Notes:

What is the mysterious piece of information that Ritsuko think's she has found? I'm sure you're going to be surprised by it as well.

This chapter was a little difficult to write. The Daredevil vs thugs scene was pretty complicated, especially since I didn't want to think up names for them. They just weren't **that** important. I'm planning to write about a chapter a week, but that's an early projection. If anyone's wondering where Rei was, she's still in recovery. This was basically a Hikari introduction to Shinji chapter. And I hope no one expects me to have Mana pared up with Shinji cause I have other plans for him. Hikari will play an important role in Shinji's life, but don't figure her to be the romantic interest.

Also, to make things tougher for Shinji, I had to give the Angel a new ability it didn't have in the series. Hope no one minds. The shriek was not intended to be an actual weapon, just a normal shriek that was louder than hell.

Next chapter: Shinji cooks, the 5th Angel arrives, Rei meets Daredevil, and Shinji gets to shoot a sniper rifle.


	4. Give the Blind Man A Gun

**Disclaimer: I don't own Eva or Daredevil. **

**I'm sorry for being a bit late with this story. Work has been killing me. Hopefully this will satisfy you. Also, Merry Christmas to all, and I hope you enjoy these new chapters**.

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HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

_by Gunman_

**Chapter 4**

GIVE THE BLIND MAN A GUN

The field headquarters had been assembled as quickly as possible. Scientific study was needed and Ritsuko Akagi just reveled in it.

"The core's shattered, but the body's completely in tact. This is almost a perfect sample. Thanks a lot, Shinji, for the good work!" Ritsuko called from the upper catwalk that had been built around the eel-like Angel.

Shinji and Misato, who were down on the ground floor, were not totally paying attention to her.

"What do you think Shinji?" Misato asked.

Shinji stretched out his hands and touched the exposed skin of the Angel.

_Hard, smooth, there's almost a grain to it. It doesn't feel like any kind of material I've ever felt before. Maybe it is a creature from outer space_.

"Shinji?"

"I'm fine Misato. It just...feels odd."

"I'm sure. Looks odd too, but enemies are like that up-close." she said.

Shinji raised and eyebrow and turned his head towards her direction.

"Uh...well, you know." she giggled, remembering that he couldn't look the enemy up-close.

"Yeah. I know."

Ritsuko eventually brought the pair into her computer room for an explanation of what she had found.

"Huh?" Misato said as she stared at the computer screen. "601? I don't get it."

"That's our computer code for 'cannot be identified'. But look at this." Ritsuko said as she hit another key on the computer and the screen changed.

This time it brought up what looked like a computerized version of a DNA pattern.

"And this is what I think it is?" Misato asked.

"Yes. As you can see, the DNA pattern of the Angel is virtually identical to humans, though the Magi predict that the difference is exactly 7.999 Once again we must admit that there is still a great deal we do not know about the universe." the blond sighed as she sat down and reached for her cup of coffee. Which by now had turned cold. "God I hate cold java."

"Will a fresh one do?" Maya Ibuki asked as she stepped into the computer room.

Shinji, who was standing off to the side just listening, suddenly moved as Maya tripped over one of the power cables. With speed and agility born of his ninja training, Shinji intercepted the flying tray of coffee with his right hand as his left arm wrapped around Maya's waist, holding her so that she didn't hit the floor. He twisted his wrist around and righted the tray.

Miraculously he didn't spill a drop.

The trio of women were in shock at this, shaken out of it by Shinji's voice.

"Are you alright, Miss Ibuki?" Shinji asked as he slowly righted them both into a standing position.

"Uh...yes! I'm fine, Shinji. Uh, thank you." she said with a flustered expression as she straightened her uniform and her hair, trying to keep her blush down.

"Here." he said as he handed her back her coffee tray.

"Thank you." she said as she went back to her duties.

"Thank's Maya." Ritsuko said as she took her still warm drink, not taking her eyes of Shinji.

Misato was the same, though she alternated her looks between Shinji and the two women.

"He's still single you know." the woman whispered to the young tech.

"C-CAPTAIN!" Maya blushed furiously.

"Honestly, Misato. Leave the poor girl alone!" Ritsuko chided her friend.

Even though he was blind, Shinji sometimes felt others couldn't see him.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(Misato's apartment that evening...)

"Well, it's nice to see you've kept the place tidy." Ritsuko said as she sat down to dinner.

"Uh...yeah. Thanks." Misato smiled as she set the food down on the small living room table.

Ritsuko immediately face faulted as she realized the obviousness before her.

_Oh, god, Misato! How could you! Letting the poor boy clean up your mess. Probably couldn't stand the smell._ Ritsuko thought as she sat down in the living room.

Misato entered the room and set the pot of food on the table.

"Let's eat!" the purple haired woman cried out as she dug in.

The evening went rather pleasantly, aside from Ritsuko watching Misato wolf down her ramen with curry, and Shinji trying not to pass out from the overwhelming smell.

"How can you eat like that?" Ritsuko asked.

"Hey, you're a guest, so you have no reason to complain." Misato said as she washed down her food with another Yebisu.

_That's a matter of opinion_. "Maybe you should have had Shinji cook."

"Ritsuko! You can't expect Shinji to do the cooking. He can't even see." she gasped.

"I don't think you did when you cooked."

The banter went on for a couple of more minutes, enabling Shinji to slip away, grab a couple fruit snacks and protein bars from the fridge, and return before they really noticed he was gone.

"I still say it would be wrong." Misato said.

"I think that's for Shinji to decide." Ritsuko replied.

"For me to decide what?" Shinji asked as he ate his fruit.

_Where did he get that?_ Ritsuko wondered as she turned to address the young man. "Misato and I were having a discussion. Actually, it's more of a bet."

"Bet?"

"About the quality of Misato's cooking."

_Or lack thereof._ Shinji and Ritsuko thought in unison.

"Anyway, what I'd like to propose is a rather interesting challenge." Ritsuko continued.

Shinji's eyebrow lifted at this. "Challenge?"

"I'm going to be coming over for dinner in a couple weeks. How would you like to do the cooking for me and Misato? The point: to see if you're better at cooking than Misato."

_I couldn't be worse_. "Hmm. Sounds interesting." he smirked.

"You're not serious!" Misato gasped.

"Do I get a choice, or did you want something specific?" Shinji asked.

"I'll let you decide, but tell me by Friday so I can get you the necessary ingredients for you." Ritsuko said.

"Alright. I accept your challenge, Dr Akagi."

"Call me Ritsuko, Shinji."

Shinji smiled and nodded.

"I can't believe this! The blind man is going to cook the meal?" Misato asked.

"Are you worried?" Shinji said, flashing her the same smile he gave her when they first met.

Suddenly, a crash was heard in the kitchen.

"And that would be Pen-Pen collapsing from Misato's cooking. Excuse me." Shinji said as he stood up, extended his cane, and made his way to the kitchen.

Ritsuko just stared at her best friend. "You feed Pen-Pen the same stuff you feed Shinji? Misato!"

"What?"

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Eventually, Ritsuko went home and Misato passed out from drinking too much.

_How can she drink so much? Guess everyone has their methods of unwinding, but that's just excessive_. Shinji thought as he suited up and scanned the area. _Section 2 is still watching this place. Not very observant for bodyguards though. _

Shinji had easily discovered the dark suited men who were supposed to be watching the apartment. According to Misato they were NERV security, supposed to be invisible, but in the time he had been living with Misato, he had been able to detect them. With his heightened senses he recognized them fairly easily, and with the stealth training that sensei had taught him, even though he was blind, he was able to avoid them without any trouble.

His main concern was always Misato. Living with a guardian did limit his ability to fight crime on a nightly basis. He could only do so when she was so drunk there was virtually no chance she'd wake up before he got back.

Fortunately she was drunk nearly every night.

Shinji was careful not to eat too much tonight. He had learned the hard way just how hazardous Misato's cooking had been.

The night when he rescued Ms Hikari Horaki, his stomach had been filled with Misato's cooking. That battle had lasted too long for his taste, and now he knew why.

Misato's cooking had somehow diminished his strength and reaction time. Thugs he had hit before went down usually after one punch, not three or four.

Shinji had made sure he either got his own food, or avoided hers completely. Cooking may not have been Misao's strong suit, but eating the ninja girls cooking never left him weak.

As he bounded over the rooftops, his finely honed ninja senses suddenly picked up shouting.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Let me go." the girl's voice said firmly.

"I don't think so, you little ice queen." the boy said.

"Yeah! You think you're so much better than us! Always ignoring us. Turning us down for dates. Well no more, blue-girl!" the second boy said.

"Release me, at once, before you suffer the consequences." she repeated.

"I don't think you're in a position to make demands of us, red-eye!" the third boy exclaimed.

"How about me?" a new voice called out.

Something flew out of the darkness and struck one of the punks in the head.

He went down as the other two who were holding Rei looked around, scared and confused.

A crimson-clad figure suddenly swung from out of nowhere, kicking the two punks in the chest and throwing them hard against the wall. They were out cold before they slumped to the ground.

Daredevil retracted the wire back into his cane and walked over to Rei. The lighting was poor in the walkway of her apartment building, but Rei, used to it, could make him out well enough.

The first punk who had gotten smacked with his billy club got up and tried to attack Daredevil from behind, only to get the backside of the devil's fist, which dropped him to the ground.

The first thing Shinji noticed was that the girl he had saved was Rei. He recognized her scent easily. Her aura was rather unmistakable. The strange thing was, her heartbeat was normal. Calm and steady.

"Are you alright, miss?" he asked, making sure not to use her name.

"I am fine." she replied calmly as she rose to her feet. "I will call for the police to deal with them."

"Alright. Take care." he said as he leaped off the fourth floor walkway and vanished into the night.

Rei cocks her head to the side. _Strange. There is something familiar about that man. _

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

When the 5th Angel had been detected, Rei Ayanami had just finished with her synch test for Unit 00. Though her ratio was high enough to allow her to move her orange, single-eyed Eva, the plan was to send Shinji out instead.

"Eva, Launch!" Misato shouted.

Right as she said that, one of the techs started shouting.

"We're getting a high energy build up from inside the Angel!" Hyuga shouted.

"What?" Ritsuko shouted.

"What does that mean?" Misato asked.

"It's gone active! We have to abort the launch!" Aoba shouted.

"He's half-way to the surface!" Maya shouted.

Fortunately, Shinji, having kept his communication link open, could hear them.

Misato! Disengage the harness locks! Shinji cried through the radio.

"What?" the startled captain asked.

Just hurry! the blind pilot shouted.

"Maya!" Misato screamed.

"On it!" the young tech replied as she rapidly punched in the keys.

With the harness unlocked, Shinji crouched low and jumped just as Eva reached the surface. Unit 01 was catapulted high into the air, the energy beam from the odd diamond-shaped Angel barely missing him as he flew upwards. Shinji flipped around, landed, and just started running.

The Angel stopped firing for a second, it seemed to be recharging. Shinji sensed an opportunity and took it, leaping out from his hiding place and charged the Angel. He energized his AT-Field and leaped at the Angel. It seemed a perfect target hanging in mid-air. His fist came down hard, but the instant he did, he was blasted back as his AT-Field connected with the Angel's AT-Field.

He was thrown back, landing hard on his back as he fought to get up.

The Angel had recharged it's laser and powered up to fire it again.

Angel's primary weapon powering up! he heard Maya over the comm.

Shinji, you have to get out of there! he now heard Misato.

The blast had shaken him, the crash to the ground caused him some pain due to his high synch with Unit 01, but he fought through the pain and managed to get up.

Right as the Angel fired.

As he ran, Misato was shouting orders while the Angel's energy beam followed him through the city.

Turn left! Now right! Jump! 

Shinji didn't need to follow her orders, but figured he should at least try. The Angel's energy beam kept firing at the Eva, blasting through building after building trying to hit him.

Shinji's pain sensors are going off! Maya shouted. it's like his entire body is on fire. 

_You could say that_. Shinji thought as he fought the pain to just move his Eva.

Shinji, you have to get out of there! The Angel's weapon is too powerful for you to block with your AT-Field. Misato shouted through the comm.

And you can't dodge it forever. Ritsuko's voice

_I can if I have too!_ "Understood."

Shinji, we're opening escape tunnel 6! Get back down here now! Misato shouted as she gave him the directions to it.

Shinji followed the woman's orders and managed to get into the chute as his arm got clipped by the blast.

"ARGH!" he screamed in pain as he tumbled down the chute, coming to a rest at the bottom with a hard thud!

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"How are your feeling, Shinji?" Misato asked as the nurse walked out of the hospital room.

"A bruised arm, a thump on the head, body nearly exhausted. Doctor's say I might just live." he joked.

"Nice you're in such good spirits." the older woman smiled. "By the way, where did you learn all that acrobatic maneuverability."

_Oooh. Big words_. "My sensei who I lived with the last fifteen years insisted that being blind was no excuse for lack of exercise." he said, not bothering to add anything further.

"Hmm. Alright, I'll by that. I guess."

"I'm sorry, Misato." he said.

Misato looked at him a little strangely, until she realized what he was apologizing for. "Don't be Shinji. According to the readings the Magi collected, you wouldn't have been able to withstand the Angel's attack, especially in your condition. Retreat was the only option."

"I don't like running away." he whispered.

"What?" she asked, not catching it.

"I'm not used to running away." he restated, louder.

"I know that Shinji. But right now, you live to fight another day."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(Back-Up War Room...)

"Status?" Misato ordered as the computer screens displayed the Angel and the information the Magi had collected and was analyzing.

"The Angel has destroyed the decoy and the Type 12 Mortar." Hyuga said.

"Anything that comes within it's blast radius is immediately locked onto and destroyed. Also, it can generate an AT-Field powerful enough to deflect any bombardment." Maya exclaimed.

"Which means that dropping an N2 Mine on it would only do us more damage than it."

"Unfortunately so."

"And even a direct assault on it with Unit 01 proved ineffective, even with Shinji trying to neutralize it's AT-Field with Eva's. Offensively and defensively, it's almost perfect. A real flying fortress." Misato mused. "What about the drill?"

"The Magi calculate the drill that's protruding from it's base will penetrate through all 22 layers or armor within 9 hours 27 minutes."

"Just after midnight. With Unit 01 and it's pilot unharmed, for the most part, we still need a way to protect the pilot's life so he can get the job done."

"Do you think we still have time to run up the white flag?" Hyuga asked.

"Before you do that, there's one more thing I want to try." she grinned smugly.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(Gendo's office...)

"You want to do what?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"I believe using a high-powered energy rifle to sniper the target, outside it's firing range, will have a greater affect on the target than a direct assault." Misato explained.

"But you're probability of success is only 8." the older man stated.

"It's the highest number we could get." she said, defending her position.

"I see no reason to reject your proposal, captain. You have a go." Gendo ordered.

"Thank you, sir."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"You realize this plan is crazy." Ritsuko said as the pair descended one of the many escalators within the massive complex. "Don't you, Captain Katsuragi?"

"Don't be rude, Ritz. It has the highest chance of success and can be completed within nine hours. Besides, it's the best shot we have."

_A total long shot, especially with who she wants to fire the freaking rifle. Speaking of which..._ "But our positron cannon can't sustain the necessary energy needed to penetrate the Angel's AT-Field."

"Then if our's won't work, we'll borrow one."

"Borrow? From...oh no. You don't mean..."

"The JSSDF's new prototype."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(Japanese Strategic Self-Defense Force research facility...)

"I've come on behalf of NERV to requisition your position energy cannon as of 16:00 today." Misato said as she presented the official requisition form to the head officer.

"But this is...just so ridiculous." the officer said.

"Don't worry, we'll try our best to return it in as close to it's original condition as possible." she said as she turned to the roof. "Alright, Rei! Take it away!" the roof of the warehouse opened as a large orange cyclops peered into it. "And be careful with that, it's a precision piece of equipment."

"The Magi predict that we're going to need an exponential amount of energy in order to penetrate that Angel's AT-Field. Where are we going to get the necessary electricity for that?" Hyuga, who had accompanied Misato on the trip, said.

"Where do you think I'm gonna get it? From all over Japan." she smiled.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(NERV Headquarters...)

"What about the shield?" Misato asked as soon as she had gotten back from the JSSDF with Hyuga and Rei.

Ritsuko was in the EVA cages with Maya.

"It's the best we could do on such short notice." the blond scientist said.

"Is that?" Maya asked as she looked at the rather familiar shaped defense tool.

"Yes. It was sorta part of the space shuttle. It may look ugly, but it's got an electromagnetic coating that Section 9 guarantees will withstand the Angel's energy blast for 17 seconds. Not bad all things considered."

"Good work, Ritz." Misato said from the command room. "What about the sniping position?" she asked, turning back to Hyuga who was working at the terminal.

"Based on proximity, topography, direct line of sight to target, and accessability to power cables, this is our best bet." the computer tech exclaimed.

Misato looked over his shoulder to the visual on the computer screen. "Mt. Futago, huh?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Right."

"From here on in, this operation is going to be called, Operation Yoshima!"

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Are you well, Pilot Ikari?" Rei asked as she entered his room with a tray of food.

Shinji was sitting up in his bed. He was naked, yet the covers hid the lower part of his body. That didn't, however, stop Rei from noticing the scars on his torso.

_Where did he get those injuries?_ The young woman wondered, her mind going into analytical mode. _He is without sight_, she thought as she noticed his lite-blue almost transparent eyes, _though he seems capable of moving around quite easily. It does not seem logical to assume that he engages in activities that would cause injury to himself_.

"Yeah, Rei. I'm fine. Just a little shaken, that's all."

"I can imagine." she said as she sat down next to him. _Why did I say that? I have no imagination._ "Captain Katsuragi is currently working on a plan to eliminate the Angel."

"I heard. Any idea what the plan is?" he asked as he reached for his sunglasses.

"I have not been briefed as yet."

Shinji ate his meal while Rei sat patiently next to his bed. She noticed that he had yet to cover up his nakedness as the blankets seemed to fall lower with each movement. Yet she realized that since he was blind, such modestly might not be an issue.

Pilots Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami, please report to the command deck. the intercom announced as Shinji finished his meal.

"It seems they are ready for us. Come, Pilot Ikari. I will escort you."

"Shinji." he said as he reached for his cane.

"Pardon?"

"I'd like it if you called me Shinji." he said as he placed his red-lense sunglasses over his eyes.

"If you prefer. But first, you would be better suited to wear this." she said as she dropped a new plug suit in his lap.

"Oh. Thanks, Rei." he said with a smile.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(Mt Futago, one hour before the beginning of Operation Yoshima...)

"Good, you both made it." Ritsuko said as Rei escorted Shinji to where the two women were.

"Here are the battle plans for the operation." Misato said, her command tone in play. "Shinji will be positioned with Unit 01 and the sniper rifle aimed directly at the target. Rei will protect Unit 01 with the shield if the Angel fires." Misato said.

"The reason for this arrangement is that Shinji has a much higher synch rate with his Eva and this will require an incredibly high degree of synchronization." Ritsuko explained.

"Right, we're going to let the blind guy shoot the gun." Shinji groaned, thinking this was a rather odd idea.

"Don't worry about that. The targeting sensors will direct you and we'll give you visual assistance as well." Ritsuko stated.

"Besides, you've fired a gun before." Misato recounted.

"And we all know how _that_ turned out." Shinji uttered.

"You two should get ready now." Misato ordered.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Are you worried Rei?" Shinji asked as he sat inside the trailer while Rei changed into her plugsuit. She didn't mind that he was right there. 1-she knew he couldn't see her. 2-she had no real concept of modesty to begin with.

"I am not. You should not worry either." Rei replied as she finished zipping her plugsuit up.

"I shouldn't? Why?"

"I will be protecting you." she said, pressing the button that caused the suit to go from loose to skin-tight in a second.

The pair were escorted to the ramps where their Eva's were being prepped and ready for launch.

"I never got that chance to ask you. Why...do you pilot the Eva?" Shinji asked.

"Because I am bonded to it." Rei answered.

"Bonded?"

"Yes. It's a bond."

"Like...what one has for a mother, or a father?"

"It is a bond...to all people."

"You're very strong, Rei."

"I have nothing else."

"I can't believe that."

"It's true. You are strong, Shinji. You are without sight, yet you persist in fighting. A person in your position, would not be able to perform as such."

"Maybe I'm not normal."

"That is obvious."

"What?" he asked, crinkling his eyebrows as she rose up.

Were he to possess sight, he would have gasped at the image of the shapely blue-haired young woman in her white and black striped plugsuit against the full glow of the moon.

"Goodbye, Shinji."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Remember Shinji, we're entrusting you with all the power in Japan. Misato said through his communicator.

_I hope this works. According to Ritsuko I've only got enough power for one, maybe two shots. I have to hit it right the first time, or Rei will die_. Shinji thought hard, his synch ratio slowly rising.

The Angel is powering up it's weapon! he suddenly heard Hyuga shout.

What? It's detected us? Ritsuko screamed.

What's wrong? Misato shouted.

The Angel's moving from it's position over Tokyo-3 towards us! Aoba shouted.

Right now? But it just broke into the Geofront! Hyuga shouted.

Shinji, fire now! 

Shinji followed the orders and directions, the target positioning readouts being broadcasted through the mobile command center for Misato and Ritsuko to monitor what was happening. However, when he pulled the trigger, nothing happened.

"What's going on?" Misato screamed when nothing shot out of the modified sniper cannon.

"There's a glitch in the calibrations! The trigger won't accept the firing protocols." Hyuga said as he checked the data stream coming in his terminal.

"WHAT'S THAT MEAN!" Misato screamed at him.

"The Gun Won't Fire!" he shouted back.

The Angel fired at the purple Eva, recognizing it from before as the true threat. However, Rei and her ugly but effective shield stepped into the path of the energy blast.

"REI!" Shinji shouted as he heard the explosion and felt the overwhelming wave of heat coming off the shield.

Shinji's synch ratio was rising fast, so much so that he could feel that heat through his Eva.

_Rei! Rei's in danger! I have to help her!_

(Inside the mobile headquarters...)

"Shinji's heartbeat and pulse are accelerating! Synch ratio is going up. It's leveling at 100!" Maya shouted.

(Outside on the battle field...)

Shinji pulled back the trigger and fired. The beam flew straight and blew a hole directly through the center of the Angel.

"WE DID IT!" Misato shouted with glee as the video screen showed the Angel explode and fall down on the outskirts of the city.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The heat from the Angel's blast was enough to melt the shield, but it was also enough to melt the armor of Rei's Eva. Shinji had used his Eva to pull the entry plug from the Unit 00 and set it down gently. He ejected quickly and raced to her entry plug. His sense of touch, magnified to an amazing degree nearly took his skin off when he touched the burning entry plug door, even with the insulated suit he wore.

_Push through the pain, you have to Shinji_! He thinks, ignoring the searing heat. He nearly tears the door open, steam and pressure escaping with a hiss.

"Rei? Rei are you alright?" Shinji calls out as he leans inside the white tube. The heat and smell of the nearly boiling LCL practically overwhelms Shinji, but his concern for his friend causes him to ignore that. "Rei?"

"Shin...ji.." the weak voice of the young woman in the entry plug chair.

"You're alright! I'm glad." he says, his senses telling him her heartbeat is weak but active. Pausing for a minute, he thinks back to something. "Don't say that Rei! Don't say you have nothing. And don't say goodbye when you leave, it's...it's too sad." he said nearly in tears.

"I do not know how I should act." she said simply

"Why don't you try smiling?" he offered, tears starting to form on his face.

Rei smiles, and she brings Shinji's hand to her face to 'see' it. Unknown to Rei, the entry plug was still humming from the backup life support. The vibrations pulsing off the young woman, allowing Shinji to actually 'see' her smile.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Well, Ritz?" Misato asked.

"Well, what?" the blond doctor said, face glued to the computer screen in front of her.

"Care to tell me what you're so obsessed with over there?" she asked, walking over to her.

"Just relevant data...that confirms my earlier theory." she was typing faster on the keyboard.

"Which one?"

"Shinji's synch ratio leveled out at a hundred percent right before he fired."

"And he hit the Angel dead center. With one shot!" Misato said, still amazed.

"Right, but it was the same way when he attacked the 4th Angel." Ritsuko hinted.

Misato got a funny look on her face. "You're saying that..."

"Yes. Shinji can see."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Authors Notes:

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. The way I'm going I'm probably going to do a chapter per Angel battle. That's longer than I originally intended, but...oh well.

I hope everyone enjoyed that I added Rei to this, and gave Shinji more edge. The story may seem a little different, in that Shinji didn't get blasted in the chest and actually tried to fight it, but I figured that was the upside to being a ninja-trained blind vigilante.

I also hope you liked the way Shinji saved Maya, and accepted Ritsuko's challenge to one-up Misato at her own cooking. (Considering the series, I was thinking this would be funny)

I have little else to add, aside from...please review.


	5. The Second Devil

**Disclaimer: I don't own Eva or it's characters, or even Daredevil. **

**AN: Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all appreciate my gift to you in the form of these two chapters. **

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

_by Gunman_

**Chapter 5**

THE SECOND DEVIL

The helicopter ride was pleasant enough. Misato and Shinji were on their way to meet with the Second Child, who was scheduled to be brought over with her Unit 02 aboard an aircraft carrier. As the flight continued unabated, Misato sits back and lets the events of the last few days wash over her.

FLASHBACK

"_What do you mean, Shinji can see?" Misato asked as she leaned against Ritsuko's desk. _

"_Exactly what I said, Misato. Shinji can see." Ritsuko said as she sat in her chair next to her computer._

"_But he's blind. Isn't he?" _

"_Physically, yes. When he's outside of Eva, definitely." _

_Misato kinda figured where this was going. "But inside?" _

"_I'm not sure exactly **how** it's possible, but whenever Shinji's synch ratio rises up to 100, he gains the power of sight." _

"_But only in Eva." she said as Ritsuko nodded. "How is that possible?" _

"_Synchronization. The children's ability to control their Eva's rests in their synch ratio. The higher the ratio, the more control they have over the Evangelion. However, being in synch with the Eva means that if they reach a certain level, the Link Control Liquid will connect them even more to it, even to the point that they will not only feel what Eva feels to a higher degree, but they will acquire the same sensory input that the Eva's possess." _

_Now Misato was lost. "Huh?" _

_Ritsuko sighed. "In simpler terms: when Shinji's synch ratio is at a hundred or more, Eva will compensate and act as his eyes." _

_Misato sighed. "Simple or not, that's a lot to take in, Ritsuko." _

"_I'm sure. At this point, I'm not sure how exactly it's capable of doing that, but I'd bet money that's what happened." another thought occurred to her. "Of course I'd need a massive amount of data to corroborate such a thing. I wonder if this could be used for other humans."_

"_Yeah, good luck selling people on that. 'Hey, folks, if you want your blind child to regain his sight, please send 20 billion yen to us, and we'll give you a 100 foot walking robot and the instruction manual telling you how to get it to act as your kids eyes'." she joked. _

"_That's absolutely ridiculous, Misato." Ritsuko huffed. "Also, Eva's construction costs were more than that." _

"_Damn trial and error." _

"_Got that right." _

END FLASHBACK

The memory left her mind as Misato unintentionally thought back to the JetAlone demonstration. Somehow, some over-eager genius got it in his head to build his own giant robot. One that was supposed to be superior to Evangelion, and replace it. It was powered by a nuclear reactor and piloted by a 'next generation' super computer. Furthermore, the genius added that it would be better than having a 'blind child' saving the world.

That alone had nearly driven Misato to pull her gun and shoot the man. More for the fact he had insulted Shinji. And she would have, had Ritsuko not had the foresight to make her leave her gun in their helicopter.

However, during the activation test, something went wrong, and the giant robot started walking towards the nearest city and populated area. Misato had taken charge of the situation, called NERV and had Shinji and Unit 01 flown out to the test sight. The plan was to use Unit 01 to stall the robot as long as possible so that Misato, dressed in a custom made radiation suit, climbed into the robot's operations core and disabled it.

The plan was crazy, but Shinji was used to it by now. They had succeeded, but Misato's attempt to use the shut-down password had failed. The readout said 'computer error' but Misato suspected sabotage. She didn't voice this after she manually inserted the reactors power rods back into the robots core, shutting it down.

After the incident, NERV retained it's status as the sole agency needed to defend the world against the Angels, along with their 'blind pilot' at the helm.

_And those JetAlone idiots didn't think a blind pilot was any good. Guess we showed them, huh, Shinji_? Misato thought with a smile as she looked back to the group sitting behind her.

Shinji was sleeping. Not being able to see, the view from the helicopter wouldn't have interested him as it did Kensuke and Toji.

The pair had become fairly good friends with Shinji when they found out that he was the pilot of Eva Unit 01. Kensuke was ecstatic about it, and Toji...well Toji was rather impressed that a blind man was capable of piloting a giant robot. He couldn't blame Shinji for what happened to his sister, since she had gotten out of the shelter on her own, and Shinji was in deed blind.

When Misato had come by to pick Shinji up from school, both Kensuke and Toji were stunned that his guardian was such a babe. Actually, Shinji suspected that was the real reason they were so warm to him. A fact that Hikari Horaki brought up almost immediately.

When this trip to the aircraft carrier had been announced, Shinji had decided to appease the pair and invite them along. He had done this since Rei had declined to come, saying that if there was an emergency while Shinji and Misato were away, there would at least be a single Eva standing by. Hikari was invited as well, but had declined. Apparently, she was afraid of flying.

Misato was pleased that Shinji was starting to make friends, but agitated at not being able to be alone with Shinji. She hide it rather well though.

"Shinji, wake up." Misato's voice cooed to him as he slowly stirred.

"Misato?" he asked as he stretched. "Are we there yet?"

"Just about." she smiled, turning to the two boys. "I'm so glad you could join us on this little date of ours." she smiled at the pair.

"Is this really a date, Misato?" the bubbly jock asked. "And I wore this hate just for you." he said, holding his new cap on his head.

Misato just smiled at him. It was nice to flirt with someone who could appreciate her beauty for a change, even if she had no intention of doing anything else. Besides, she was actually talking about her and Shinji on this 'little date'.

"Take a look, guys." she said, pointing down to the ocean vessels

"That's your little boat?" Toji asked, skeptically.

"That's the famous super carrier 'Over the Rainbow'. And just look at those ships! Seven, eight, nine, at least ten Destroyers, Battleships, and Frigates!" Kensuke giggled with joy as he video-taped the whole event.

"Actually, I'm amazed such a crusty old relic is still floating." Misato said.

"She's not a relic. She's a vintage model from before the Second Impact." Kensuke explained.

"A relic." Toji muttered.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

On the command deck of the super carrier, the admiral in-charge and his aide were looking through binoculars at the approaching helicopter.

"I can't believe they brought the power cables for that child's plaything." the gruff admiral spat.

"Rumor has it that one of their pilots is actually blind." the aide said.

"Blind? You mean he can't see at all?" the admiral gasped in shock.

"Yes sir. According to the rumor, he's been successful in defeating at least three of these Angels."

"Humph! These things must be a joke if a blind child can beat them so easily. And if that's the case then those bureaucratic fools only really need us to protect the world."

While the pair were grousing about the arrival of the NERV personnel, a stunning and shapely young redhead was watching the helicopters every move. While several sailors were watching her.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The helicopter landed without much trouble, Kensuke hoping out quickly as his over-enthusiastic love of the military got the better of him. Being aboard a naval vessel of this caliber was a dream come true for him.

Toji followed suit, chasing his cap as the wind blew it off his head.

Misato and Shinji exited the helicopter and the lavender-haired woman escorted the sightless young man towards the command bridge. His cane in one hand, a small case strapped under his arm.

They all stopped short as Toji's cap came to rest under the yellow shoes of a young woman with fiery red hair and a form-fitting yellow sundress.

"Well hello Misato. How have you been?" the redhead grinned at the lavender-haired woman.

"I'm just fine. Goodness, you've grown some, haven't you?" Misato replied, intent on keeping things as light and positive as she could. She knew who she was dealing with.

"Yup. And I'm not just as tall as you now, my figure's filled out too." she stated proudly as she thrust her chest forward, casting special attention to her high C-cups.

"So I see." Misato grinned, knowing how proud the young woman was of her body. "Boys, let me introduce you. This is the designated pilot of Evangelion Unit 02, the Second Child. Asuka Langley Sohryu."

Suddenly a strong gust of wind lifted up the skirt of Asuka's sundress more than enough to give everyone a great shot at her white panties. Of course, the second that happened Asuka lashed out at the two boys who were clearly staring at her. Kensuke's camera lense was shattered and Toji had a very noticeable impression of a hand on the left side of his face.

Her hand however went on instinct, striking the third boy hard, which earned her a fierce retort from Misato.

"ASUKA, what the hell are you doing!" Misato shouted as she grabbed Asuka's hand and painfully winched it back.

"OWW! Misato what the hell..." she cried out in pain.

"Damn it, Asuka! You've got eyes, use them!" the woman hissed as she tossed Asuka's hand back at her.

The German redhead rubbed her sore wrist as she did look at the boy. She froze and paled as she realized that he was blind! If the red-colored walking cane was any indication, then the lite blue almost transparent spheres he had for eyes, now exposed due to her slap, were a dead give away. Misato retrieved his sunglasses and handed them back gently to him.

"Here, Shinji." she said softly, putting the glasses in his hand. "Are you alright?" she asked, gently touching the side of his face which was now slightly red.

"I'm fine, Misato. And thank you." he smiled as he replaced his glasses.

_He's...blind? Oh my god_. "I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't think...I'm..."

"What did you do that for?" Toji growled, gaining Asuka's attention.

She snarled at the overgrown monkey. "What do you want?"

"I wanna know why you hit us?" he barked.

"That's the viewing fee. Quite a bargain really." Asuka shot back.

"It's overpriced. But that's alright. Here's your change!" he bellowed as he dropped his own pants.

Another fierce slap reverberated across the deck, sending Toji to the ground. It was loud enough to make Shinji wince.

"Devil girl." Toji muttered under his breath. Only Shinji heard him.

"Misato, please don't tell me that one of these dorks is the famous Third Child." she said.

"Actually, Asuka, it's him." she said, nodding towards the blind teen she had just struck.

"Pleased to meet you." Shinji said calmly as he extended his hand.

If Shinji had any sight whatsoever, he would have seen, along with the others, the sight of the Second Child's skin go an almost ghostly white.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The meeting with the admiral had been less than smooth sailing. Apparently he was upset that they had bothered to come and oversee their transport of Unit 02. They resented the fact they needed a babysitter. The admiral was also less than impressed with the rumored blind pilot of Unit 01, but kept his peace.

However, after that meeting, Shinji could feel Misato's anxiety rising as they were introduced to yet another interesting person.

Her ex-boyfriend Ryoji Kaji. An American presumably, though you couldn't tell that from the name.

The six people were crammed in the elevator that headed down to the commissary.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Misato shouted at Kaji.

"Accompanying Asuka. I'm actually on a business trip of sorts." Kaji replied, smiling at once again being this close to Misato again.

Misato however, was grousing. "Talk about careless. I should have anticipated something like this."

"HEY, DON'T TOUCH ME!" Misato and Asuka suddenly shouted in unison.

"I CAN'T HELP IT!" Kaji and Toji exclaimed together.

Just then, she felt something else poke her in the butt. She knew who was behind her.

"Shinji, I hope that's your cane!" Actually she didn't, but no need to let anyone know that.

"Actually, it's my flute." he whispered into Misato's ear, giving her a lite shiver.

Her eyebrows knitted. "Why did you have to bring that thing with you?"

"What was I going to bring? A book?"

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(Ship's galley)

"So, Misato, do you have a boyfriend?" the unshaven man flirted with Misato.

"That's not really your business." she shot back.

"I'm hurt." he said, but laughed it off. Misato was sitting across from him, Shinji right next to her so that Asuka didn't take another shot at him. Asuka was across from him, just staring at the blind young man. Toji and Kensuke were sitting near the end of the table. Kaji turned to face Shinji. "So, Shinji, I hear you're living with Katsuragi now."

"That's right." the blind teen said, staring ahead as he put his tea back down.

"Tell me something, is she still so...wild in bed?" innuendo clear in his voice.

You could feel the air get sucked out of the room after that little statement. Everyone save Shinji froze up and looked stupefied. It was Misato who broke the silence.

"JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?" she shouted at him.

"No. She hasn't changed much, has she?" he said calmly.

"I guess." Shinji said as he rubbed his ears. "But how did you know who I was?"

"Well, I ought to know you. You're pretty famous in the defense business. The famed Third Child who piloted an Eva in his first battle against an Angel with no prior training. Although I must admit I didn't believe the rumor that you were...

"Visually challenged?" Shinji interrupted.

"You must get that a lot, right?" he laughed.

"You could say that." he said as his hearing picked up Misato mumbling to herself. 'It's a bad dream, that's all. Just a bad dream.'

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Later on, Kaji and Asuka were standing on the upper deck overlooking the ocean, just talking.

"So, what do you think of Shinji Ikari?" Kaji asked.

"Honestly? He's not what I was expecting. I mean...He's Blind!" the young woman gushed.

"Yes, but his synchronization rate was well over 70 in combat with no prior training."

Now she was truly amazed. "MEIN GOTT!" she gasped.

"And he was instrumental in using a modified sniper rifle to shoot down one of the Angels." he added, wanting to gauge her response.

"Wait, wait, wait. You mean he...they let him shoot a gun? He's blind!"

"Obviously there's more to it than that."

Asuka's mind had been a little conflicted about this. He had to be more, otherwise he'd never have been allowed to be a pilot. She was aware that the Japanese had limited views on people who were handicapped in such a fashion. The popular idea of being independent and capable was a strong drive for the island nation, ever since the end of WWII. Rather difficult if you were 'hindered'.

Maybe there was more to him than she was seeing. Especially if he had three Angel-kills under his belt already. _It had to be luck, I mean...he's blind_! She thought, but with three kills already, it had to be **some luck**.

Kaji lite up another cigarette as Asuka looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

Asuka had had a serious crush on Kaji when she was younger. He had come to be her guardian for several years, and she thought of him as her ideal man. Making her intentions anything but subtle, she literally lusted after him. This was particularly difficult for her when she was fourteen, as her puberty and budding hormones pushed her to pursue the man. He had fought her advances for several years, but she was amazingly persistent. Even in the face of his obvious flirting with other women. In order to make him fall, Asuka had worked herself into the stunning beauty she was: silky smooth back-length red hair, flawless, unblemished skin, round, ample and supple breasts, long, smooth and hairless legs, a trim waist and flat stomach, hips that knew just how to shake when she walked, and a low amount of bodyfat. When she reached eighteen years of age, Kaji had finally caved and did it with her. (Though she was legal at that point had set his mind at ease)

Unfortunately for her, despite his suave smile, good looks and charming attitude, Kaji had only proven to be a three-minute wham-bam-thank you ma'am-kind of guy. Her synch ratio had been screwed up after that incident and it took her months to recover. Since then she had gotten it into her head how disappointing men could be. Years of lusting after someone who you had considered the embodiment of manhood, only to have them be a dissatisfaction left a sizable impression.

Since then she and Kaji had been good friends, and little else. She was old enough now to be on her own, and had been since that unsatisfying night.

"I'm going to find Shinji." Asuka said as she left the man to look for the Third Child.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Asuka walked around the carrier, looking for the blind young man. She passed Misato who was on her way to the helicopter to get something from it. She thought that was unusual, since leaving a blind young man alone in a strange place wouldn't have been too smart an idea, even for Misato. The lavender-haired woman said Shinji was on the lower observation deck, just taking in the smell and spray of the ocean.

Toji and Kaji were being given a tour of the carrier by the admirals aide, so she avoided them. She suddenly heard a strange sound coming from the observation deck of the ship. It sounded like music.

_What is that?_ She wondered as she followed the sound.

She emerged onto the deck and found Shinji leaning against the strong steel railing, built to keep people from falling overboard into the water. She froze as she realized he was playing a flute and playing beautifully too. He looked so peaceful, so focused and calm.

The melody was beautiful and practiced, it flowed through the air and through her like a ray of light. She didn't recognize the tune, but that was of little concern. She just listened to the music as he played, noticing a couple of female officers just listening like she was. They sighed contentedly.

_Wow, he's really good at this_. Asuka thought as she continued to listen to him play. _Definitely more to him than meets the eye._

Time seemed to stop as Shinji continued to play his instrument. As he did, Asuka took in his features and physique. He was dressed in a simple short sleeved white shirt and brown slacks. His sunglasses were red, covering his eyes completely. She noticed his arms were lean but not stick thin, yet seemed to be well developed. He stood tall and straight, carrying himself well. His hair was a little mussed, but in this wind it was understandable. His face was chiseled and strong looking, slightly angular with slim cheeks, not malnourished or anything, and a strong jaw.

Suddenly, Shinji stopped playing as he turned his head out towards the ocean. Asuka, curious about what he was 'looking' at, made her presence known.

"Shinji? What's wrong?" she asked as she stepped up to him.

"Something's here." he said as he put his flute back in its case.

An explosion suddenly caught her attention as one of the battleships went up in flames and started sinking. Everyone's attention was caught.

"What's that?" she asked.

"It's an Angel." he said with confidence.

"An Angel? A real one?" she gasped. Then a thought struck her. _Wunderbar_! She smiled as she grabbed his arm.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Hurry. Get changed." she said as she tossed a bag at him.

He barely managed to catch it as she suddenly remembered he couldn't see it.

"Alright." he said as he quickly shed his clothes, making Asuka blush and turn around. She realized then that he was blind. That meant he didn't care what he looked like, and that meant he didn't have much modesty. She dared to take a peek, and was impressed at how athletic he seemed. She also noticed the scars on his body.

_Jeez, even Kaji wasn't that impressive._ She mused with a blush. _Cute cuts too_.

She changed in front of him, knowing full well that he couldn't see anything.

When she was finished, Asuka noticed that he looked really good in red.

She then lead the blind man to the waiting boat on the aft side of the carrier.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Shinji asked as he was nestled in the cockpit of Unit 02 right behind the redhead.

"If it's an Angel, then Eva's the only thing that can stop it, right?" Asuka explained.

"Point taken." he conceded.

Asuka activated the red goliath and rose out of the tanker that carried her Unit 02. As it turned out, Asuka didn't have to reconfigure the language translators from German to Japanese. Somehow, Shinji knew German as well as she did.

_Didn't know he knew my native language_. Asuka shrugged with indifference as she thrust the control forward.

Across the way, aboard the 'Over the Rainbow', Misato was the first to notice the rising behemoth.

"Asuka! What the hell are you doing?" Misato shouted into the communicator.

Getting ready for battle. What's it look like? the redhead called back.

"But that Unit isn't equipt with the B-Type Equipment. It won't work underwater."

Then we'd better not fall in. a familiar voice chimed over the communicator.

"Shinji?" Misato asked in shock.

Long story. Explain later. 

"Uh, right. You have to get to the carrier, Asuka, we've brought the back-up power cables."

Right! 

The Angel moved from ship to ship, destroying them without stopping. Almost as if it was looking for something.

Asuka didn't have time to figure it out and used her Eva to play hopscotch from ship to ship until she landed hard on the flight deck. The impact had nearly tipped the vessel over, dropping several of the jet fighters into the water.

"Look at what those kids are doing to my ship!" the admiral was virtually on the verge of tears.

Suddenly, a special weaponless VTOL quickly emerged onto the flight deck via the elevator. Misato looked down and saw that Kaji was in the passenger seat, a case in his lap.

"What? Kaji, what are you doing?" Misato screamed.

"I've got a delivery to make. Sorry I can't stay to help." the unshaven man said as he pulled his helmet over his eyes as the jet lifted into the air and flew off.

Misato ground her teeth at the man, anger not even beginning to express what she felt. Another big explosion rocked the ship as Misato turned to see that the Angel was coming around for another shot at them.

Inside the Eva, the two pilots were working out a plan.

"Any ideas, Third Child?"

"We don't have any weapons, aside from the Prog. Knife."

"It'll have to do."

"Fine. When the Angel gets close enough, us the knife to stab it's weak point."

"Which would be?"

"If you can't hit it's core, try to go for it's eyes."

"You want me to blind it?"

"Just a suggestion from a blind man." he grinned.

Asuka was a little shocked by that, but agreed. She pulled the knife from it's sheath and waited for the opportune moment. The gigantic whale-like Angel tore through the water, leaving a massive wake in it's path. It exploded from the water and attacked the red Eva.

"Now!" Shinji shouted as Asuka thrust the control hard forward.

The knife flew at the Angel, but only managed to slash it across it's side, hitting neither the core nor the eyes. It did however cause the Angel to drop back into the water. It swam away to spin around and come in for another attack.

However, it had gotten Asuka.

"ARGH!" she screamed as she dropped her knife and held her hand. The impact against the Angel had nearly shattered the bones in the Eva's knife hand. Which had translated to Asuka's hand.

Suddenly, the Angel attacked again, exploding from the water and opening it's giant mouth wide.

Asuka froze in fear as the Angel revealed a long row of teeth within it's mouth. Teeth that were long and razor-sharp it appeared. Shinji wasn't scared, since he couldn't see the Angel.

The Angel exploded up from the water, catching Eva between it's teeth and biting down hard.

"ARGH!" Asuka screamed as the red juggernaut was pulled into the water.

"Asuka, calm down." Shinji said, placing his hands over hers on the controls.

_How can he be so calm_? She wondered, noting his composure. She then felt his grip tighten on her own, as if trying to silently reassure that everything would work out.

Even as the Angel continued to bite down, the pain surging through two pilots who were joined by the LCL, Shinji continued to remain calm.

"How? How can you be so calm?" Asuka asked. This probably wasn't the right time for a discussion but she didn't really care. "The Angel's got us! The Eva won't work underwater! We're as good as dead What the hell was I thinking!"

Shinji released her hands and pulled his arms around her body. She stiffened at his embrace.

"Asuka." he whispered into her ear. "We aren't dead yet. And we can't give up. We must fight with everything we have, because that is all we can do."

Her heartbeat was beating rapidly. Her body temperature was rising. So much so she was worried she's boil the LCL by herself.

"Don't be afraid. You're not alone in this, I promise you." he said, hugging her tighter, his head resting side-by-side against hers.

(Back up on the command deck...)

"You have got to be kidding me!" the admiral shouted.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it will work." Misato argued.

"Let me understand this: you want me to sink our last two battleships, then use the power cable that is still attached to your robot, and let it drag between the two ships, so you can shove them into the Angels mouth, and then fire at point-blank range to destroy it?"

"Yes."

"That's the most insane idea I've ever heard!"

"If you've got a better one, then I'd like to hear it. And fast!"

The admirals decision came five seconds later with an approval for the plan.

(Back inside Eva 02...)

Shinji, Asuka! Do you understand the plan? Misato asked.

"We do. We just have to open the Angel's mouth so you can shove two battleships inside so that you can destroy it. Sounds easy enough." Asuka said with her usual fire.

"We'll take care of that, Misato." Shinji said. "Just tell us when."

Right! 

"Shinji? Can we really do this?" the redhead asked the blind man.

"Have faith, Asuka." he said with a smile.

Somehow, that gave her confidence.

Shinji! Asuka! Do it now! 

"TOGETHER!" the pair shouted, their thoughts unified, their hands joined at the controls.

With one explosive effort, the red Eva's AT-Field exploded with power, surrounded the robot and forcing the Angel's mouth to open as the two battleships suddenly slammed into it.

"We have to move!" Shinji shouted.

"On it!" Asuka replied as the Eva pushed off the Angel's mouth and flew towards the surface.

The guns fired as the Angel exploded. The blast was more than enough to launch the Eva out of the sea water and land hard onto the carrier deck.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(NERV controlled harbor...)

"Wow!" Ritsuko gasped as she saw the damage to the carrier and the Evangelion that was being unloaded from the ship. She noticed the large teeth marks in the Eva. "So much for a peaceful ride."

"It might have helped if someone had told us about an Angel being in the area." Misato grumbled.

"Who was to know it would be there? If it was confirmed, we would have sent Unit 01 along with you." Ritsuko said, turning back to the readouts she had received on the battle. "Misato, did you see this? Shinji and Asuka's synch ratio was in perfect harmony with each other."

"Yeah, for about 28 seconds."

"That's better than any simulation we had gone through. Beyond our expectations, which was based on data compiled from their best synch tests. Even Shinji's best." she said, rambling a bit.

Misato however had a headache as she saw Shinji being lead down the ramp by Asuka.

"Are you sure you're alright?" the German woman asked.

"I'm sure, Asuka." The blind man replied to her.

"Shinji...about earlier...when I hit you..."

"What about it?"

"Well...I just...I'm sorry. I didn't notice you were blind."

"It's alright, Asuka."

"Not it's not. Even with those two perverts there, it was no excuse. I...I want to make it up to you." she said, which was surprising herself in this.

Shinji paused as they stepped off the ramp onto the concrete dock.

"Alright. How about you coming over for dinner tonight?" he smiled.

"Dinner?" she blushed a little. "I slap you and you ask me out on a date." she giggled.

"I'm serious. Ritsuko can give you the directions, or come with her. She's invited as well."

Asuka smiled. "Alright. I'll be there." she accepted as she helped Shinji into the jeep Misato was driving. Ritsuko got out and stood next to her.

"Ritsuko, Asuka will be joining us for dinner. Could you bring her with you?" he asked the blond scientist.

"Sure Shinji. Just make sure you make enough for four now."

"I promise I will." he said as Misato drove off.

No one noticed the glum look on her face as she drove off.

Ritsuko suddenly noticed that Asuka was laughing a bit.

"What's so funny?" she asked the German woman.

"You actually made it seem as if Shinji was doing the cooking." she smirked.

Ritsuko just stared at her, straight-faced. "He is."

Asuka quickly stopped laughing.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(Misato's apartment, 7:00...)

"Mmmmmmmmm!" Ritsuko moaned as the food slid down her throat. "Oh, Shinji! This is just excellent! I didn't know you could get the noodles that soft without making them mush."

"The sauce is fantastic! You really cooked this yourself?" Asuka asked, amazed as she shoveled another forkful into her mouth.

"Yes I did. Ritsuko picked out the recipe and bought the ingredients. Thanks again for the braille translations cook book, Ritsuko."

"You're welcome, Shinji." the blond scientist said after she swallowed another forkful of lasagna. "Misato, how's your food?"

_Un-Be-Lievable! He cooks better than me, he cleans up better than me, he fights giant monsters to protect the world, he's got a body to die for, he's got musical talent, and he's blind as a bat! Where the hell did this guy come from?_ Misato thought as she ate the food that Shinji had prepared, each forkful sending her tastebud's pleasure sensors to new heights.

Even Pen-Pen was happily satisfied with the meal, snuggling up to Shinji in appreciation.

When dinner was finally done with, Shinji and Asuka were sitting in the living room just talking. While they talked, Ritsuko pulled Misato outside into the hallway of the apartment building to talk to her.

"What's up, Ritz?" Misato asked.

"A lot, actually." she said in dead seriousness. "Misato, I don't know if you've noticed, but Shinji's abilities are far superior to your own."

"Yeah, he's a great pilot, that's for sure."

"That's not what I mean!" she said, nearly shouting.

"Ritz?"

"Misato! He cooks. He cleans. He also pilots a giant biomechanical weapon against huge alien monsters. He's taking better care of you, and Pen-Pen, than you are of him!"

Misato didn't like where this was going.

"Either you start cleaning up your act, and your apartment on your own, or I will have no choice but to remove Shinji from your custody." the blond scientist fumed. "I'll move him into his own place if I have to. Since he seems capable of taking care of others, he can easily take care of himself."

With that, Ritsuko went back inside the apartment to retrieve her purse and shoes, as well as thank Shinji for the wonderful meal. Misato was left outside to ponder the seriousness of what she had been told.

However, she knew that Ritsuko was right.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Authors Notes:

Alright, this is where Asuka enters the picture and where they battle the Sixth Angel. No Daredevil in this one, since there wasn't anyway I could have put him into it.

The battle with the Angel is a little different. As is Asuka and Shinji's meeting. I have to say that I have toned down her bitchiness in response to Shinji's blindness, and hope that it meets with everyone's approval. I also decided to add a commentary on Asuka and Kaji's relationship, trying to make it more believable from a grown-up perspective.

Please, read and review, and Merry Christmas!


	6. Dance With The Devil

**Chapter 6**

DANCE WITH THE DEVIL

Disclaimer: I own nothing from Eva or Daredevil.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Six muggers, three car-jackers, four burglars, and one attempted rapist. Attempted because he was stopped before he could actually do anything.

All in all a rather successful night of crime fighting for Shinji Ikari. A disappointment only because he was no closer to finding the assassin who had killed his master. Though to be honest he should have expected that. With the Angels coming here to Tokyo-3 there was little chance anyone would want to stay in this city, despite the victory NERV was having against them.

Or should he say, himself and the other pilots. They were the ones who were on the front lines. The victories were theirs, which was not too arrogant to admit.

He was a little surprised to have found any criminals even trying to commit crimes here.

_I need to get back. Sunrise is in a few hours and I'll need sleep. Not that his hasn't been invigorating but Misato might get worried. _

With that Daredevil bounded away into the night, back towards his, their, apartment.

He was running over the rooftops when he paused. His ears perked up as a scream was heard.

_Someone in trouble. Guess I'll lose a half hour of sleep tonight_. He thought as he bolted into the night.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Ritsuko Akagi was a woman who thought she was safe. After all, she was the Commander's lover.

_Fat lot of good that's doing me now_. She thought as she was thrown up against the wall of the alley.

"Look lady, I'm gonna spell things out for you. Give us the purse, we leave you alone. It's not worth you getting beaten, or raped." the thug said as his buddy flipped out his knife.

To be honest, Ritsuko didn't want to give them her purse, only because she only had a few bucks in it, no checkbook, and her credit cards were in the process of being paid off. Anything they found was not going to be worth all this effort, which meant they might turn to her.

"No answer? Well, then I guess we'll have to take it!" the thug shouted as he grabbed the purse while his buddy watched the doctor. He dug through it and found exactly what Ritsuko knew he'd find. "Well, well, well. Guess we get to add another crime to our limited résumé."

The pair started to advance on the blond doctor, the first thug unbuckling his pants.

"Now, trust me, this ain't gonna hurt. I won't feel a thing." the thug said.

A sharp whistling sound cut through the air, a soft 'Whack' echoed briefly through the alleyway as the thug suddenly doubled over in pain.

A human body flew through the air and slammed both feet into the second thug's chest, sending him flying back hard into a dumpster.

The first thug had dropped to his knees in pain, holding his crotch as the figure came up from behind him and slammed his fist into his face, knocking him out completely.

Ritsuko looked to the figure and gasped. He was a tall figure, dressed in red with horns on his head. Well muscled from what she could tell in the dim light of the alley. She watched as he retrieved a long quarter-thick stick from the ground in front of the first thug. Probably what struck him before.

"Are you alright, Miss?" he spoke.

"Uh... yeah. I'm fine."

"Good. Best go home." he said as he leaped at the building and rebounding off either wall until he was on the roof, disappearing into the night.

_He is real. He's really real_. Ritsuko thought as she gathered up her belongings and took off.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Hey, Ritz, you alright?" Misato asked the blond doctor as she stood inside the command center.

"Uh, yeah. Fine. Just... thinking." Ritsuko replied as she shook herself free of the thought.

"Well, stop thinking and concentrate. The Eva's are about to engage the target."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Outside the base, on the shoreline of Japan, the two Eva's stood ready.

It had been twelve days since the 6th Angel battle in the ocean. A battle they had won. But now the pair were at it again and this time in their respective Eva's.

"Just stay behind me, Third Child." Asuka called from Unit 02. "I'll take this thing out with no trouble."

"Are you sure about that, Asuka?" Shinji asked. "We don't have any data concerning what this thing is capable of."

"Stop worrying about it. Oh, and by the way, nice facial wear." she smirked.

Shinji grinned at that. A couple days ago Ritsuko had built a special visor for Shinji to wear inside his Eva. The device itself looked like a pair of high-tech sunglasses equipt with proximity sensors that beeped whenever everyone came close to him, or he came close to anything. Like a wall or a car or something. It's range was about five feet and had actually proven effective.

Not that Shinji really needed it, but he didn't want to insult Ritsuko. Though to be honest, it felt like some kind of wrap around visor with a single strip lense over the eyes, special soft-beeping mics near the ears, and a clasp behind the head. It covered most of the sides of the head, leaving his lower face exposed as well as his forehead and hair, covering his eyes completely like a pair of scuba goggles.

(A/N: To clarify, the visor looks like Cyclops headgear from the X-Men movies. I apologize if it wasn't clear enough in the description)

Their attention shifted as a loud explosion erupted from the surf. Asuka saw the water rising out of the ocean, looking like an exploding geyser.

The Angel burst through the water staring at the two Eva's as if in confusion.

"I got it!" Asuka shouted as she gripped her lance and charged.

"ASUKA, WAIT!" Misato shouted before Shinji could.

The redhead leaped through the air, hopscotching over half-sunk buildings and brought her lance down hard directly on the Angel, the high energy blade slicing the creature right down the middle. Her victory seemingly assured, Asuka leaped away to admire her work.

"See? A battle should be clean and elegant. Without waste." Asuka smirked.

_See? See what? I'm blind as a bat_. Shinji mentally groaned.

Suddenly, Shinji's hypersensitive hearing picked up something coming from the target.

"Misato, something not right." Shinji cried out as he adjusted his controls, drawing his Prog Knife out.

(What do you mean, Shinji?) The woman asked as the split form of the Angel suddenly started moving and the half pieces transformed into two whole, yet separate and smaller bodies. One was red, the other brown. Naturally Misato's reaction was, (THAT'S JUST BULLSHIT!)

Asuka, still possessing the gift of sight, was caught off guard as the two smaller Angels turned to her and grabbed her, lifting her into the air, twirling her around like a pizza, and tossing her headfirst into the ocean.

(Unit 02 is down, Unit 02 is down!) The shouting from the control came.

_Yeah, I noticed_. Shinji thought as he leveled his rocket launcher at the on-coming Angels.

He fired off several shots, which he didn't expect to hit the Angels, or stop them, just explode around them to create a 'sounding wash' that would give him an exact position of where they were. It was after he had fired that he noticed something.

_That's interesting. The Angels are dodging, in a pattern. There's almost a rhythm, I can hear it. They are perfectly synchronized. I've got to follow that rhythm. _

Shinji dropped the launcher and twirled his knife around in his hand, and then fell into the rhythm that he swore they were following. He disconnected the cable, knowing that it would only hinder him in this fight. He pushed the controls forward and launched his Eva into the fight.

_If these two work in perfect synch, that means they know what the others thinking. Same mind. That means I have to break their concentration_.

Shinji moved to the left and then spun right, hooking the first Angel with a backhand strike and then managed to dodge the second Angels fist attack. He leaped forward and threw his feet into the air, knocking the second Angel down as the first one grabbed his feet and pushed forward, sending him into a roll. He followed through and sprang off his feet, spinning around like a whirlwind until he came to a rest on his own feet.

That little trick, everyone found shocking.

"I didn't know the Eva's could do that!" someone said.

"I didn't know a human being could do that." another said.

"It's Shinji!" Maya shouted.

"Who the hell is this guy?" Aoba asked.

"He's blind right?" Hyuga added.

Misato ignored the conversation as she continued to watch the one-on-two battle.

_Come on, Shinji, pull a miracle or something_. She mentally cried.

Shinji twirls his Eva around and blocks their attacks with his arms, ducking under one Angels fist and leaping over the second Angel's kick. He quickly had their positions and traded back and forth from them, practically spring boarding off one, which added momentum to himself as he impacted the second. He used this method to ricochet off the first and ducked low enough to avoid the seconds arms as he used his left hand to locate the core and then stab it with the knife in his right. He pushed off the second Angel and threw his back into the first Angel, knocking it off balance and tumbling until he managed to get back to his feet.

The first Angel attacks, it's footsteps giving Shinji enough warning to leap back, curl up, wait a split second for his target to come into range, and then thrust his legs out into the Angel's chest.

Both landed hard on their backs, but Shinji was up quicker, spring boarding off his back onto his feet.

(Shinji, how the hell did you just do that?) Misato asked.

"I thought it, Eva did it." Shinji explained. "You sound surprised."

(I should be. Angel's Moving!)

Shinji blocks the Angel's attacks and pushes it back with some sharp kicks to it's red core.

However, his constant attention to the first Angel caused him to miss the second Angel suddenly rear up and attack Shinji.

"SHINJI LOOK OUT!" Misato screams in vain.

(How, exactly?) He asked, not bothering to ask what he should be looking for.

He suddenly realized what Misato was trying to tell him as the other Angel grabbed him from behind and pinned his arms. He was assaulted by the two half-Angels with several punches, until he was picked up and was slammed head first into the ground.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Two hours later, briefing room...

"Well, good job, to both of you." Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki with a tint of sarcasm.

"Actually, Shinji is to be more congratulated than Asuka." Ritsuko stated.

"Why?" Asuka asked as she sat in the viewing room, which had been reviewing the Angel battle.

"Aside from the fact that he lasted three minutes longer than you, it's because he also managed to gather a valuable piece of information regarding this battle." Maya stated.

"Which is?"

"Shinji managed to stab the core of one of the split-Angels. This should have killed it. However, the core healed up. We believe that this was due to the fact that it was only a half-core." Ritsuko said.

"Half-core?"

"The Angel has the power to divide itself into two smaller versions of itself. As a result, it's core splits in two as well." Maya stated. "However, its still connected."

"So, you're saying that because one of the cores was still intact, it was able to heal the other core?" Asuka asked in shock.

"Exactly. This wasn't foreseen, but now that we know, we will be making certain adjustments in order that you will be able to defeat the Angel." Fuyutsuki said.

"Such as?"

"A simultaneous, coordinated attack, using both Eva's." Shinji said.

"Uh...right." Ritsuko said, looking at Maya.

"Figures."

"How did you know what I was going to say? Are you psychic?" Maya asked.

Shinji turned and grinned wickedly. "Am I scaring you?"

The pair backed up instantly as his smile returned to normal.

"I'm kidding, jeez!" he smirked. "And to answer your question, a coordinated attack makes sense."

"But wait! The Angels' neutralized. Can't we take it out now?" Asuka asked.

"No. While it's in recovery, it's thrown up an AT-Field that can repel any attack. The Magi predict that it will come down when the Angel is fully healed. Which will be about five days." Maya said.

"Well that's just perfect." she huffed as she slumped back in her chair.

She looked around the room at the people assembled, and realized she couldn't get mad at any of them. Virtually all of them hadn't been involved in the battle, all safe inside the command center. Shinji had been out with her, but what happened to her wasn't his fault. He had stayed out of the way just like she wanted. The slicing of the Angel was her doing. As was her getting slammed into the ocean headfirst.

And from what she had seen of the video footage of the battle, Shinji HAD done a hell of a lot better than she had. He had not only lasted longer than her, but had actually taken on both Angels without much trouble. Until he too was slammed into the ground by them. The reason for that being he didn't know about the Angel's ability to heal it's own core. Just like she didn't know it could split in two.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

_It's luck, it has to be luck, it can't be anything else. Can it? I don't get it. Who is this guy? Where the hell did a blind man learn those skills? It's like advanced martial arts and even being blind hasn't hindered that._ Asuka fumed as she took another shower to make sure she got all the LCL out.

She had to admit that there was something unique about him, but his skills and talent were clearly more than the rumors had stated.

_Shinji Ikari. Who are you?_ She asked as she turned the shower off and stepped into the locker room to dry off.

She stopped as she noticed that Misato was there waiting for her.

"Misato? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Just wanting to know how much you want a second shot at taking the Angel down?" the purple-haired woman asked.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It was two days later, and Hikari Horaki was starting to get worried. Shinji hadn't been in class and neither had the new girl. Asuka Langley Sohryu, whom she had become friends with rather quickly. Hikari was meant to be Shinji's chaperon through the school, a job handed to her by Mana. Not that she was complaining, as she thought Shinji was pretty handsome for a blind guy. And from what she had seen, he wasn't a hindrance like some blind people were. Given mostly from the fact that Shinji seemed comfortable living and moving around.

She paused in front of Shinji's apartment and noticed two other people were following her. She looked back and grimaced slightly as she saw Kensuke Aida, the military otaku who kept bugging Shinji about this and that regarding Eva. He didn't ask a lot of questions, given the fact that since Shinji was blind he couldn't see a great deal.

The second was her ex-boyfriend, Toji Suzuhara, who was less than thrilled about being here. He had initially wanted someone to blame for his sisters injuries, despite the fact that she got out of the shelter herself and HE was supposed to be watching out for her. However, the only candidate was the blind robot pilot who couldn't be blamed due to his 'handicap'. Though there were times that he seemed not so handicapped, which confused him quite a bit.

Still the evidence was there and even he, with his dense way of thinking, couldn't argue with it. Not after seeing his eyes.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Laurel and Hardy." Hikari said, giving her own greeting.

"Hey, former class rep." Kensuke said.

"Hikari." Toji said.

"Toji." Hikari said.

"What are you doing here?" Kensuke asked before things got worse.

"Came to see Shinji. He's been absent a couple days and I hadn't heard anything." Hikari said. "What are you doing here?"

"Actually, the same. Wanted to talk to him about the new Angel." Kensuke said. "Drug Toji along cause he wanted to see..."

The larger boy elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

"How the blind guy was doing." he stated.

Hikari grimaced at that. Shinji may be blind, but that was a fact that didn't need repeating. She looked back to the door as it opened. The trio gasped in shock.

"Yes, can we help you?" two voices sounded in unison.

Hikari, Toji and Kensuke gasped. Not from the fact both Shinji and Asuka were talking in unison, but more from the fact that they were dressed similarly.

They were both wearing black biker shorts and tight sleeveless shirts. Shinji wore blue while Asuka wore red. Shinji had on his red lense sunglasses. They were both barefoot.

The trio were speechless, until Misato and Rei arrived.

"Hello." the captain said.

"Uh, Ms Katsuragi, would you care to explain this to us?" Hikari asked.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

After a brief explanation as to what had happened and why they were dressed similar, the trio of University students were sitting in the living room. Hikari was snuggling PenPen and watching them.

"So, how is it coming?" Kensuke asked.

"Not too bad." Misato said, noticing the pair were actually doing quite well.

But they were dancing. Ballroom dancing. Kaji had actually come up with a rather creative training method to make the pair move in synch with each other. It had actually gone better than she had intended, considering the original plan was to have them moving in synch with each other though not touching. The creative switch to one-on-one contact was actually better since one of them was blind they couldn't see the other to match their movements. To keep in synch, contact was essential.

(A/N: And anyone who has seen the series will know what I'm talking about)

Hikari actually found herself jealous of Asuka. The way Shinji moved, the way his muscles flexed at holding Asuka, through every step, every dip, every glide. She wanted to be in that caress.

Misato echoed Hikari's thoughts. She could feel her muscles tense every time Shinji held Asuka close to him. Cheek to cheek, pants to pants. His arms holding her close, like that of a lover. She cursed Kaji for suggesting this. Perhaps the best way to be intimate in public without anyone being offended, and it was going to another girl.

Rei herself was also feeling something. Not so much that she envied the Second Child's proximity to the blind young man, but how they were moving. The fluid grace that was before her, an act of elegance and dexterity was something she secretly wanted to be a part of. There was beauty in what they were doing, a sense of unity that seemed to call to her.

The pair finished their dance in seconds, standing apart from each other as a thin gleam of sweat running down their skin.

"Excellent you two. Why don't you both go and get something to drink and we'll continue when you get back." Misato said, tossing the redhead a small wad of cash.

"Alright. Come on, Third." Asuka said as she pulled Shinji away, who barely had enough time to grab his cane.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

While the group talked about this and that, mostly regarding Shinji and Asuka's upcoming fight, the pair had walked a short distance to the corner market to get some drinks and snacks.

While Shinji just waited patiently outside, Asuka was inside, letting the cool air of the drink fridge wash over her. She was doing this in an attempt to calm herself down.

_Calm down, dammit! Body temperature drop_! She mentally demanded of herself.

The dancing itself hadn't made her hot, despite the complex intensity and repetitiveness of it all. No, the redhead was getting worked up because of HIM! The closeness of the workout meant that she could feel every muscle he had, every sinew, every bicep, tricep and perfectly honed ripple that she had often wanted in a boyfriend.

And it was true, that she did want a boyfriend with a firm foundation, yet she also wanted someone who was fearless and intelligent. And from what she had seen in her 19 years, Shinji Ikari was the only one who could measure up.

Even Kaji hadn't been that athletic when she and him... but she digressed.

Once her breathing had calmed, Asuka grabbed a few good drinks and headed out to find Shinji waiting for her.

They were on their way back when Shinji stopped walking. He placed a hand on redheads arm, which caused her a bit of confusion, as well as pulse acceleration.

"Shinji, what are you doing?" the redhead asked.

"Waiting." he replied.

"Waiting? For what?" she asked with confusion, not noticing the quicky growing clouds. _My pulse to go down, because it's not._

"For the rain." he answered.

"Rain? It's not going to rain!" she cried in disbelief, mostly since she didn't know how he could have seen it coming without sight.

He smiled at her. "It is, I'm telling you, the temperature just dropped a couple degrees, I can smell the moisture in the air. Just... please wait."

Not one to get caught in the rain under any circumstance, Asuka asked, "Why is this so important?"

"It's just that, when it rains its like there's a rooftop on the world. Each raindrop makes a sound the first time it falls on a surface. I hear a lot better than most, like... second sight. Just then it's like I...it's like I can see again. And I...I just wanna...I just want to see you."

Asuka was stunned, blushing a bit at his gentle request.

"Okay."

Shinji looked up as the firs raindrop accelerated downwards upon them. The droplets fell, covering them both in seconds. Shinji opened his eyes as the sight before him nearly left him speechless. His radar sense brought each sound of rain to life. Each sound reverberated off of Asuka's face, giving distinction to the redhead's features. Every contour, every line. It was like he was looking at a cluster of glowing sparks form a pattern in the darkness of night itself.

"My god. You are so beautiful."

Asuka blushed. _He can see me? I...I never thought he would be able to._

_Her body temperature is rising. She's blushing._

That was when Asuka leaned forward and enveloped Shinji in her arms, hugging him tightly and letting her body remember Shinji's form. Shinji simply returned the hug, both ignoring the rain as it continued to cloudburst.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It was three days later and the Angel was healed and ready to go. It's only obstacle, a pair of synched Evangelions and their pilots.

(Remembers guys, keep a firm lock on the other, do as we practiced, and this fight will be finished in...)

"72 seconds!" the pair said in unison.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

_Creepy_. The director of operations thought. "Eva's LAUNCH!"

The Angel was not a quarter kilometer from the launch chutes when two figures, one red and one purple, exploded from the ground and twisted in mid-air.

They linked hands with each other and landed with a rather soft 'THUD'. Still linked, the pair bolted at the Angel and caught it in a clothesline maneuver that dropped it onto it's back. Quickly the Angel was on it's feet and had split in two.

(Shinji, it's divided!) Asuka shouted into her communicator.

(Right. Let's Do It!) Shinji shouted back to her.

Shinji and Asuka released their grip and charged the Angels. They ran fast, pulling their Prog Knives and leaping over the two Angels, tossing their knives at them in one deft move. The Angels quickly re-converged as the blades passed it on both sides, just as the two Eva's came down hard and kicked the Angel in it's single face, sending it backwards. The pair linked both arms this time as Shinji pulled hard, using Asuka's unit like a bat to swing hard, striking the Angel in the face. Asuka came down as she grabbed Shinji's arms and used him like the purple bat that she used to quickly strike the Angel feet-first.

The pair alternated for two more equal and well-placed hits, before the Angel split in two. Asuka shouted at Shinji, telling him what had happened, and the pair put their fourth stunt into effect. They unlinked hands and dove towards the Angels. Before the twins could retaliate, the Eva's grabbed their arms and started spinning them around, gaining enough momentum to literally throw them back into each other. The impact caused them to merge, but because it had not been of their choosing, the Angel's were struggling to realign themselves. This was the perfect opportunity for the pair to strike. They both crouched low and quickly springboarded into the air together. Shinji's left hand and Asuka's right hand were lined up together as a single limb, touching back-to-back as they uppercut the core with one well-placed shot.

The impact carried the Angel up into the air, it's cracking core exploding with tremendous force as it washed the Eva's in a blinding white light.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Status. STATUS!" Misato shouted at the bridge bunnies as the screen cleared of static.

"Uh, right!" Hyuga shouted as his fingers raced over the keyboard.

"I have it!" Maya shouted. "Target confirmed destroyed. Both Eva's have sustained mild damage and are currently resting in a small, blown out crater. Damage to city, only 6"

"Not bad. Mean's we won't have to redraw the map any more than we already have." Fuyutsuki said.

"What about the pilots?" Misato asked as Aoba brought up the screen.

What Misato saw, stunned her.

Eva 01 was walking out of the crater, carrying Unit 02 in it's arms like a bride. Actually, it made her look a little... helpless.

_Ohhhh, Asuka's gonna be cranky when she hears about this_. Misato grumbled

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Asuka."

"Yeah, Shinji?"

"Thanks."

"Thanks? For what? If it wasn't for me, that Angel wouldn't have split in two." she replied. "You know, about four or fives years ago, I probably would have blamed you for this whole thing."

"Maybe, but that's neither here nor there. And besides, you didn't know that it could do that. Just try to be more patient, and listen to the protocol Misato lays out for you."

"No promises." she smirked.

"Fair enough." he grinned.

Asuka blushed and then smiled. She had known a lot of guys in her time, and they weren't as sincere as Shinji was being right now. She then realized something.

"Shinji?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you carrying me?"

"Yes, I am."

_Great! The blind carrying the disabled_. She groaned as she realized that her legs were indeed sore. She had really over-extended herself that time.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Back in NERV, Kaji had taken the opportunity to do a little snooping. If he was right, then there was going to be a little explaining to do to the UN, and to SEELE, when work of Gendo's plan got out.

He passed Rei in the cafeteria, where she was watching the monitor while drinking her tea.

_Interesting. Shinji-kun's movements, his style, his methods, are vaguely similar to each other. They are almost like that of... .no, it cannot be. How?_ Rei started to grouse as she focused and refocused on the battle on screen as well as in her mind. _This bares looking in to._

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Authors Notes:

Long time for an update, I know. I hope everyone enjoyed the fact I tried to add some Daredevil to this story. Evangelion itself takes up most of the story, with some Daredevil influence.

The reason is because I've had a lot of work to do lately, and I also happen to be a bulk uploader. This means I like to upload a lot of stuff at once. Crazy, I know, but it's what I'm used to. Something to make everyone see that I'm a multi-tasker. Problem is I don't get a lot of sleep most nights. But I'm just rambling on right now.

Kaji has started his investigations of NERV (I apologize if I made his part rather short), Gendo is out of the country right now, and Asuka has moved into the Katsuragi/Ikari household.

But that won't last if Ritsuko has her way.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please read my other stories and review them.

Bye... for now.


	7. Inferno

**Chapter 7**

INFERNO

Disclaimer: I do not own Eva or Daredevil.

Warning: I have suddenly been growing rather tired of the Daredevil infusing into the Eva universe. Originally I had intended to make this a Movie-based fic for the series, when I realized that it was lacking somewhat. Something was needed, and therefore, I decided to go back to the old school, and recruit a few of the comic book villains that Daredevil has sparred with.

I hope this meets with your approval, reader.

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The private airplane landed at the Tokyo-3 Airport and taxied out to the private hanger where a limo was waiting.

"He's here." the bodyguard said.

"Of course he's here. That's his plane." the second guard said off-handedly.

"I know that. I just can't believe he's here."

"Really. With all those freakin monsters coming here every month or so. I can't believe he'd want to set up shop in this place." the third guard said.

"Our's is not to question why, ours is just to do or die." the woman said as she got out of the limo.

"This rate we're going to die we stay here much longer." the first guard said.

"Quiet. Here he comes." the woman said.

The door to the plane opened up and the man stepped out. He was nearly fifty years old but looked well. He was lean but well built, though you couldn't tell from the greenish coat he wore. His hair was pushed up out to the sides, something like a crazy bird, if his avian features were a give away. He stepped up to the woman, not smiling or nodding in recognition.

"Welcome, Mr Owlsley." the woman said.

"Reiko. Good to see you." the man said, straight-faced as ever.

"Everything has been arranged, sir." Reiko said as she lead him to the limo.

"No problems?"

"Nothing worth mentioning."

"Mention them anyway." he said, stopping not a meter before the limo. "I'd rather not have any surprises."

The short-haired woman sighed as she tried to form coherent thoughts about what she was about to tell him.

"Shortly after the Angels began attacking the city, some... rumors began starting about a vigilante roaming around."

"A vigilante?" Owlsley asked, as if amused.

"Yes. From the rumors, he appears to be dressed as a... devil."

"Angels and devils." he mused. "This will truly be an entertaining venture."

"How long are you planning on staying?" Reiko asked.

"Only long enough to collect what's mine. Tokyo-2 has much potential, but Tokyo-3 needs to be dealt with first." he said as he got into the limo.

"I have the file you requested." Reiko said as she fished the file out of her briefcase.

"Excellent." he said as he opened it. He smiled. "Ah. My heir."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Morning came quickly as Shinji rose from bed and took his shower. He had taken one last night. Fortunately Misato was too hammered last night to hear him after as he had gotten in. Patrol had been somewhat uneventful. A couple muggers and a carjacker.

Shinji made breakfast and served Pen-Pen first. He was still amazed that the penguin was up before his owner. Course the penguin didn't drink half a case of beer every night before she went to bed. However, it was understandable, as she had recently been promoted to the rank of Major and a celebration was 'somewhat' necessary. After everyone had gone to bed, Shinji helped the woman into bed and then went on patrol.

Eventually Misato got up and Shinji had her beer and breakfast ready. He was out the door as she started eating. He actually preferred this, as her morning ritual started with a rather loud yell after ingesting her beer.

"Hi, Shinji." Hikari said as she arrived at his apartment just as Misato let loose her voice. "What was that?"

"Around here, the norm." Shinji smirked. "Shall we go?"

"Uh, right. Car's downstairs." Hikari said as she took Shinji by the arm and lead him downstairs.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji sat down in his classroom and put his senses to work. He could hear Asuka's voice coming down the hallway, talking to a couple girls who were from the swimming class. He knew this because the pool was next to the track where the boys ran, and he usually sat on the bench between the track and the pool.

He could smell Rei sitting at her desk by the window. He knew it was her because she had the most unique scent of everyone around. It was a combination of flour, vanilla, and antiseptic.

Toji and Kensuke were at their own desks. Kensuke was easily identified by his rapid computer key typing. Toji was still sweaty from his morning workout.

Hikari actually smelled nice. A new herbal shampoo, something between green tea and orchids. It had practically consumed his senses all the way to the university.

The Sensei came into the class after several minutes and began talking about Second Impact once more.

Class, then lunch, gym, then class, and then they were done for the day.

Shinji was picked up by Misato, and the young man could hear Kensuke and Toji sighing that same 'I'm-in-love-with-that-woman' sigh every time Misato came by.

"So, how was class?" Misato asked.

"Not bad. Nothing's really changed. The teacher keeps talking about Second Impact stuff. He'd be surprised to learn that everything he's talking about is wrong." Shinji replied.

"Yeah. Him and the world." Misato replied.

The pair got home quickly and the nightly regime began with dinner, Misato drinking, Pen-Pen trying to snag some of her beer, and the young man patiently waiting for the newly appointed Major to fall into her usual drunken stupor.

As soon as Misato had fallen out of her chair, Shinji knew it was time.

The blind helping the drunk. He mused as he bent down and picked up the woman. He cradled her in his arms, like a newly wed bride, lifting her up easily and heading towards her room. He had been there enough to get a good mental picture of how to get there from any point in the apartment. He had done this more so recently in the last three weeks, as Misato just consumed beer after beer every night. He wondered how her liver could stand it.

He set her down gently on her futon and was about to pull the covers over her and leave, when...

"Shinji?"

"Yes, Misato?"

"Where am I?"

"Your room."

"How... how did I get here?"

"You passed out from drinking too much." _Again_.

She moaned, half from her stupor, half from a dazed sense of lust.

"You brought me to my room?"

"Well it wasn't Pen-Pen."

She didn't argue with that. She just didn't have the capacity right now. "Could you... could you stay with me?"

Shinji was a little shocked at that suggestion.

"What?"

_I know I'm going to lose Shinji. It's now or never._ "I just... don't want... to be... alone now." she said with a truly sad tone. "P-please?"

Shinji would have preferred to go out patrolling, but he couldn't say no to the woman. Not in the state she was in right now.

"Alright, Misato. I'll stay." he said to her.

Misato removed her clothes, leaving only her panties on. She knew Shinji was blind so she didn't have to worry about scaring him off with such a bold move. She helped Shinji out of his clothes, surprised that the young man wasn't putting up more resistance to it. It might have benefitted her to know that his concern for her and her current inebriated condition was working to her advantage. When he had only his boxers on he slipped under the covers of the floor bed. He was a little shocked when he felt her bare skin against his own. More importantly, her bare torso.

"Misato? Are you..."

"Do you mind, Shinji? I'm comfortable like this. And I just... wanted to..."

"What Misato?"

Misato nearly started crying right there, succeeding in not shedding a single tear. "Ritsuko's made arrangements for you to be moved into your own apartment in a few days. I've been removed as your guardian." she said, snuggling against his chest.

He sighed. "I see." he said. _That's the reason she's been getting so hammered lately._

Misato almost laughed at that little joke, whether he meant to tell it or not.

"I was going to tell you at dinner, but..."

"No, no. I understand." he said softly. While he had to admit that it would mean less chance of being caught, and more freedom to come and go as he pleased, there was the part of him that had come to like the companionship that Misato had tried to give him. "I could complain. Ask Ritsuko not to..."

"No. It's alright. I'm not much of a guardian, Shinji. There's no fooling either of us. You've taken better care of me than I have been of you. You can handle living on your own, I know it."

"Then what will..."

"Our relationship outside of NERV won't change. I'll still be your commanding officer. And I'll always be your friend. But...just for tonight... do you think we could... be..."

Shinji said nothing. The air around them was so frail a single word would have shattered it, killing the very thing that she was so desperately trying to form from thought.

He moved to embrace her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight. Her breasts pressed against his chest as a simple kiss passed between them. Tears formed and released as the pair slowly became as intimate as two people could possibly be with each other.

Sadness, grief, impending loneliness and sorrow were wiped away that night as the pair ended their roles as guardian and ward.

Shinji would leave her apartment in a few days, but he would never be out of her life. He would be close, but just out of reach. Even through her slowly receding inebriation, Misato savored everything: his taste, his touch, his caress, the simple feeling of his body against hers. Feelings she hadn't felt in years came back to her, invigorating both her spirit and her body. As if a fire had been rekindled in the smoldering ashes of her life.

Night claimed both of them as the older woman was enveloped by a sense of peace she hadn't known in forever, content with the knowledge that it was exactly like she had imagined. But for the young man, the tenderness of this night gave him something he hadn't truly known in his own lifetime.

A strange sense of hope.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Tokyo-3 University the next day...

Everyone was assembled, yet for some reason, Shinji felt that something was amiss. He extended his senses and realized what was missing.

Or actually, who was missing.

"Hikari?" he asked.

"Yes, Shinji?"

"Is Kensuke here?"

"No. He didn't show up today. No note or anything."

_That's odd_. "What about Toji?" he asked.

"Not here either. I wouldn't be surprised, though. He usually goes to visit his sister and doesn't come back for at least a couple days."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji pulled the hood over his face and slid his billy clubs into his holster. Misato was working late at NERV and wouldn't be back until early morning. He hoped that it would give him enough time to find out what was going on in the city tonight.

The clouds were covering the moon as Daredevil leaped into the night.

_I should start at his apartment. Maybe there's a clue as to where he went. _

Shinji knew that Kensuke wasn't the type to just up and disappear without good reason. Even a note would have set the young man's mind at ease. As it was, he feared the worst and headed off into the night. Toji had a normal excuse for not being in class, so it was to Kensuke's he went first.

He arrived at the apartment, following a rather distinctive odor that the boy often had, but more from what he had told Shinji about himself.

Kensuke, being a military otaku, was obsessed with all kinds of mechanical devices that gave off a kind of unique frequency. High bandwidth or something like that. He said it was to catch incoming military transmissions, something that Shinji considered fairly illegal. Deadly if anyone from NERV found out he was trying to listen in on their conversations and such. But while the devices he had were set up to receive incoming signals, they were also left on and emitted their own signals.

This was fairly easy to distinguish, even in Tokyo-3, and especially to someone who could hear it.

Daredevil landed on the balcony of the house and entered it without much trouble. His senses told him that the entire household was empty. Kensuke's room was filled with all manner of device, most of which were giving off sound waves that reverberated through the room, allowing Daredevil to 'see' it in it's entirety.

At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Though the pile of laundry in the corner was giving off a fairly notable stench he was trying to avoid.

That's when he found it.

_What is this?_ He wondered as he picked up the object.

An owls feather.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Kensuke struggled against his bonds, his mouth covered by a gag, a blindfold over his eyes.

"The chloroform has worn off, sir." a female voice said.

"Next time don't use so much, he was out virtually an entire day." a voice said.

Kensuke stopped struggling, as if he needed all his energy to focus on the voice itself.

"Don't struggle boy, it'll only hurt and that's not what I'm here for." the voice said, much clearer this time. "Remove the gag." it ordered.

Hands removed the mouth gag and Kensuke coughed a second before speaking.

"Uncle Leland?" Kensuke asked in confusion.

"Hmm. Even though we are related by an estranged marriage, you still call me uncle. I find that rather pleasant, in a way." the voice said.

"What — what are you doing here? I thought you couldn't come back to this country." Kensuke said.

"Officially I can't, but some things are easily redeemed. But that is not for you to worry about now. I am here for an entirely different purpose."

"What?" Kensuke asked.

The older man grinned. "You."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Daredevil stood atop the tallest building he could find and inhaled the scent of the city in one large lung full of air. He stood stock-still as if in a trance, before snapping out of it and throwing himself into the night.

His billy club shot out and wrapped a steel wire around the nearest outstretched ledge, pulling him through the air towards his destination.

His heightened sense of hearing had pinpointed exactly what it was that he was looking for. He braced himself as he landed ever so quietly on the roof of the abandoned Falcon Hotel. His hearing lead him over to the skylight nearest him and he perched next to it, listening intently to what was being said. And what was being said was shocking him.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The owl on it's perch next to Leland Owlsley's desk screech again as the humans talked.

"I can't help you, uncle." Kensuke said.

"My dear boy, you are the only living relative I have left. I can trust no one else to continue on in my stead." Leland said.

"I'm not a criminal!"

Leland frowned. "The difference between crime and business is a matter of perspective."

"But what my dad told me..."

"An exaggeration, nothing more. In business, one has to be ruthless in order to survive. This means you have to make certain exceptions regarding morality and legality. Can you understand this?"

"Yes, but I can't accept it. I don't know anything about your business."

"Sufficed to say it includes pharmaceuticals, transportation, and acquisitions."

_In other words: drugs, smuggling and theft/kidnaping._ Daredevil thought to himself.

"But I can't live forever, so I need someone to take over for me. An heir. And as you well know, only family can be trusted." Leland said.

"But we're not blood-related." Kensuke protested.

"It doesn't matter. Blood or marriage, you and I are family, and I have never taken 'No' for an answer in my life."

The skylight suddenly crashed inward as a red-garbed figure dropped down and landed on the ground between Kensuke still tied up in a chair and Leland Owlsley behind his desk.

"Then maybe I can help you with that." Daredevil said as he rose to his full height.

Owlsley however was not so easily intimidated. "So, the rumors of a masked devil were true. How did you find us?"

"I followed the stench."

Leland grimaced. "Charming. However, I'm afraid I can't have you interfering in my affairs, even though we have just met." he said as he pressed a button on his desk.

Daredevil heard a buzzing sound come from behind the large double doors behind him. Seconds later the doors opened up and four sets of footsteps entered the room. The heavier of the footsteps moved ahead of the other three.

"Though we have never met, I try to be prepared for just such a meeting." Leland said. "Allow me to introduce you to Gladiator."

The man was large and well-built. Dressed in odd body armor, his chest was covered in yellow, with a green belt, metallic blue pant, metal boots with spikes on them, his face covered by a helmet and his arms had two buzzsaws on them.

Not that Daredevil could tell all this anyway.

"Take him." Leland said.

Gladiator activated his buzzsaws and charged the crimson avenger. Daredevil easily leaped over the larger man and kicked him in his back, which sent him off-balanced into Owlsley's desk.

"Idiot! Get up!" Owlsley shouted as Gladiator did just that, but picked up the large oak desk and hurling it at Daredevil with all his might.

_Great, all brawn_. Daredevil thought as he easily dodged the desk and then dodged the huge swinging fists of the burly attacker.

He continued dodging, pulling out his billy clubs and quickly connecting them to make nunchucks. Gripping one of them tightly he lashed out at the behemoth, striking him multiple times before he could throw his next punch.

_From the sound and impacts this guy's wearing full body armor. He's even got a helmet on his head. I have to end this quickly_. He thought as he evaded the spinning blades on the mans arms. _Good thing they make so much noise, it's easier to see him now. _

Gladiator was becoming furious and quickly. He'd never fought anyone who could evade his blows with such uncanny quickness and agility.

Daredevil realized this and used it to his advantage. He leaped into the air and threw a double kick to the man's helmet, causing him mild pain but disorientation as well. Seeing he was wavering a bit, Daredevil quickly grabbed his left arm, applied pressure in the right place, and tossed him off the his right, slamming him into a bookcase.

"Get him!" Leland shouted.

The next thing Daredevil heard was the softer sounds of the other three people who had entered with Gladiator.

_Play time. _

Daredevil leaped into the air and threw a roundhouse kick that knocked the first guard to the floor. The second guard tried to attack from behind, only to have the vigilante quickly spin around and slam his nunchucks into his head. The third guard got lucky and was able to throw a punch, but didn't connect with anything as Daredevil dropped to the ground and leg-swept him to the floor.

He crashed hard onto his back and only had a second's worth of consciousness as the last thing he saw was the business end of a hard red boot.

Daredevil was about to deal with Owlsley until he heard a rustling behind him. Gladiator was up and looking for a rematch.

It proved to be a short round as Daredevil forcefully tossed back his billy club over his shoulder, the metal tip hitting Gladiator right in the Adams Apple. The impact caused the club to fly back to its owner, who caught it as it flew towards the holster on his leg. Gladiator however, fell back down.

Owlsley stared at the scarlet vigilante and grimaced.

"Clearly there is more to you than meets the eye." he said.

"And I look forward to sticking a finger in both of yours." Daredevil replied.

"You'll have to catch me first! Reiko!" Owlsley shouted as he tossed himself out the nearest window while his female assistant pulled a trio of devices from behind her back and tossed them to the floor.

The devices exploded around Daredevil and Kensuke and started a fire that quickly spread across the room. She in turn ran out, the guards awoken by the fire did the same.

_I suppose I should find this satiric, however..._ Daredevil groaned as he hefted Kensuke over his shoulder and bolted out the door.

The owl had already flown the coop, so to speak.

Reiko and the guards managed to get to the only working elevator and headed down. Daredevil, on the other hand, was left with the one that didn't even have a car. The cables were the only thing left.

_I just love this job_. He thought as he tightened his grip over Kensuke and leaped at the cables. His boots gripped the cables as did his freehand and let gravity take over as he slid down ten stories to the lobby.

However, when he got out of the shaft, he found out he wasn't alone.

"He's here!" Reiko shouted as the guards pulled their guns and fired.

Daredevil leaped away with Kensuke in his grip, narrowly avoiding the gunshots. However, that didn't stop the bullets from hitting the still active gas lines, now exposed through the walls because of years of neglect.

The combustible fumes started exploding around the group, the walls literally shooting flames out in all directions. Reiko and her men were closer to the door and were the first ones out.

Daredevil however, was liking this less and less. The sudden explosion of heat and flames were playing havoc with his senses, especially his sense of touch.

He was fortunate that the explosions were sending shockwaves throughout the entire lobby, enabling his senses to tell him where the exit was.

Without waiting a second longer, he steeled his nerves and pulled the boy towards the exit. Flames shot all around him, the heat becoming unbearable. He could feel the impending firestorm rushing to him from behind. He pushed his legs hard, a single leap with all his might causing him to explode out ahead of the lobby of fire.

Daredevil twisted through the air and landed hard on his own feet, Kensuke still draped over his shoulders. And he was for the moment alive.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The police arrived within minutes, finding only Kensuke lying outside the burning building.

"Son, are you alright?" the officer asked as he removed Kensuke's blindfold and ropes.

"I... think so." the boy replied as his eyes started to focus on the fire before him.

His apparent savior long, as well as his kidnapper, both long gone.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Authors Notes

Leland Owlsley, a.k.a. The Owl, avian-theme crime boss who has fought Daredevil and Spider Man in the comics on various occasions. Gladiator is also a Daredevil foe, though in the comics he was a wrestler forced to fight the scarlet swashbuckler, not by his own choice. In this context I wrote him more as muscle to a crime boss, a paid merc.

The Shinji/Misato scene in the second part of the story may have seemed kinda sappy and waffy, but I couldn't help but write it. It was originally intended to be a romantic angst feeling that passed between them, and I hope I did it right, because as I wrote it, it developed into a lot more.

This is a Daredevil chapter, with little to do with Eva. I hope everyone enjoyed the action because it was rather fun to write.

Please read and review and then read the next chapter.


	8. Into The Fires

**Chapter 8**

INTO THE FIRES

Disclaimer: same as the last seven chapters.

Author's Notes: I decided to go back to the original concept of Daredevil in the Eva universe, but I promise a few surprises later on.

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(Friday at Tokyo-3 University...)

"Hey, did you hear?"

"You mean about Kensuke?"

"Yeah. Who knew that otaku would be the nephew of a crime boss."

"By marriage."

"Married to the mob. How nice."

"Come on. I heard he doesn't want any part of it. That's why he's in police custody until they find the guy."

"I heard a rumor that his uncle kidnapped him two days ago and that he got rescued by The Oni."

Shinji sat back in his chair and easily listened to the other students just talking about the events of the last couple days.

Leland Owlsley, the crime boss known to the underworld as The Owl, was Kensuke's uncle by marriage and had come to claim the boy as the heir to his criminal empire. Only Daredevil's arrival and intervention had prevented that. Now Kensuke was in the protective custody of the government until Owlsley could be found and arrested.

The most interesting rumor was that Daredevil had been there to save him, though only Kensuke was able to confirm that, despite the fact that he couldn't see anything the whole time. Shinji was still amused that people couldn't agree on a single name for him, as most urban legends only have one.

Class ended earlier than expected and the blind young man found himself being lead out by Asuka.

"Shinji? Come on, we've got synch tests this afternoon." Asuka called out as she grabbed the young man's arm and started leading him out.

"I thought only you had tests this afternoon." he replied as he didn't try to break away from the redhead.

(He was told she was a redhead by Misato)

"Actually, Dr Akagi said she has the new plugsuits for us, and wants us all there. Didn't Misato tell you about it?"

"No, she didn't." he said simply, not telling her that the pair had barely spoken since the night they had slept together.

A night he might have been able to prevent Kensuke getting kidnapped. He found himself rather conflicted about that: save a fanatical otaku who wouldn't leave him alone about Eva, despite his being too blind to tell him anything useful, or sleep with a beautiful and good woman?

_Tough call_. He mentally groaned sarcastically.

"Well, we've all got to go in today." Asuka said, snapping him back to reality, as she turned to Rei. "Yo, stoic one! Come on!"

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(NERV Headquarters, early afternoon...)

"Well, how are they?" the faux-blond asked the three pilots.

"Honestly, they don't look much different." Asuka grumbled. She had been expecting something a little more. A new design or some new addition. Pockets would have been a stunner.

"The material is what's new. It's an amalgamated fabric called Micro-Mesh. Stronger than kevlar, but with the flexibility of Egyptian cotton. It's lightweight, but very sturdy."

"Kevlar? Is this supposed to be bulletproof?" Asuka asked, her hands running over her suit, down every curse she had.

"Bulletproof. Fireproof. Tearproof." the doctor explained.

"You expecting us to get into a fight, doc?"

"It's merely a precaution. The suits are also designed to cushion you from inertia. Another handy little feature." the doctor said as she penned something down on her clipboard.

"And this has all been tested, right?"

Dr Akagi didn't look up from her notes. "Uh...no."

"Then how do you know?" Rei asked.

"The material was tested... just not with human beings inside it." Ritsuko explained.

"I see. Do you have more of this material?" the girl asked.

"Of course. Enough to make a dozen new plugsuits for you guys. Though to be honest I don't think we're going to have that many pilots anytime soon." Ritsuko said.

_Since when did Wondergirl get fashion conscious? Not like we need more uniforms if this stuff is as strong as Akagi says it is. _Asuka thought. _Especially if we don't have the pilots for it. _

"And with the durability factor, these new suits will last you for years." the blond said. "They're virtually indestructible."

"Oh, so then we just have to take your word for it, then." Asuka grumbled.

"Exactly." she smirked.

While the women were arguing, Shinji was stretching his limbs, getting the feel for his new suit.

_Not bad. The material is light but strong as Dr Akagi said it was_. He thought as he arched his arms over his head to touch his upper shoulder blades. _Comfortable, but not too loose. _

While Shinji was getting adjusted to his new outfit, Rei was watching him.

_Shinji-kun is very flexible. I did not notice this before_. She thought as she watched him continue to stretch.

Shinji suddenly stopped and turned his attention to the door.

"Incoming." he said as Misato burst into Ritsuko's lab.

"Everyone, War Room, now!" the major shouted.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"At 1735 today, our deep lava probe discovered what we believe to be...an Angel." Misato said as she stood over the floor screen that was displaying the visuals that the probe had taken.

This was not well received by the pilots.

"An Angel?" Asuka asked.

"Inside a volcano?" Shinji asked.

"Is it going to attack?" Rei asked.

"Yes, yes, and no." Misato said.

"Misato... how did you know the Angel was in the volcano?" Shinji asked the practical question.

"The Japanese Department of Seismology detected an unusual series of vibrations coming from Mt. Asamayama. Given that there has never been any indication of eruptions, NERV was brought in to analyze the situation. Due mostly to our expertise in the unusual. Our deep-earth probe was able to detect the Angel, specifically from it's blue pattern." Misato said.

"So, how are we going to destroy it if it's in a volcano?" Asuka asked.

"Actually... I've requested a Special Command A-17."

Rei flinched at this, and Shinji felt it. The blue-haired girl knew what a Special Command A-17 was. It had never been used, but that didn't mean it didn't exist.

"You are attempting to capture the Angel?" Rei asked.

"Well, you're going to do but, basically, yes." The major replied.

"What?" Shinji asked in shock.

"WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THAT?" Asuka roared.

"Because it would move us from a state of defense to one of offense. We'd be taking the fight to them, basically. Something I'm sure you voiced an interest and opinion in last week."

"Yeah, when I found out we couldn't go on the Okinawa scuba trip." she grumbled.

"We're on standby for battle, Asuka." Shinji said. "An Angel could attack at any time and we need to be here since this is where they're headed."

"I know, I know, I know. But you'd think the world would give us at least a much needed furlough. It's not too much to ask. Saving the world is tough business."

While Asuka continued to rant, Shinji's mind was whirling at what he had just said. _The Angels are coming... here. Why? I never bothered to wonder why they were coming here, but all of them have been. Except for the 6th Angel that Asuka and I fought together. Still... that one was looking for something. Aboard the carrier? Could it have been the Eva's? No... the Fifth Angel would have attacked us sooner when we moved to Mt Futago, and the Seventh Angel beat us and then kept advancing towards Tokyo-3. They're all coming here! But why?_

His thoughts were jarred off their train as Misato's voice called him back.

"Right now, the Magi have calculated that the Angel is in an embryonic state. The plan is to capture the Angel using an electro-magnetic cage. The capture of a live Angel, would enable us to study the enemy more thoroughly and thus give us a better understanding of how to beat them."

Though her logic _seemed_ flawless, her suggestion was one of lunacy. Nevertheless the pilots had to go along with it.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(Eva 02 Prep Cage, ten minutes later...)

"Asuka will be leading this mission using the D-Type High Temperature and Pressure Equipment." Ritsuko explained. "The reason for this is because Unit 02 has been fully tested with this equipment before."

Though Shinji was expecting himself to be sent into the liquid fire, the thought of such intense heat was incredibly unappealing due to his hyper-senses. His little instance at the hotel had taught him that.

Asuka however...

_YES! I'm going in solo! Now everyone's going to see just how great I am. There will be no dispute who the greatest pilot of NERV is._ Asuka thought joyfully.

"Shinji will be positioned at the mouth of the volcano in case Asuka needs backup." Misato said. "This doesn't mean I want you to go diving in to save her."

"Understood, Misato." Shinji said.

"And me, Major?" Rei asked.

"You'll be positioned at the base of the volcano with a positron rifle to shoot the Angel if it gets past Asuka and Shinji."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Remember, your first priority is to capture the Angel; if that can't be done then you are to destroy it. Understood?" she asked the pilots. 

"Yes ma'am!" They all reply in unison.

"Good." she said, nodding at them and then turning towards the blond. "How are we looking, Ritz?"

"Unit 02 has been fitted with the D-Type Equipment." she said, motioning towards the red Eva that was sitting against the walls dressed up in what looked like an Eva-sized deep sea armored diving suit a human would wear.

Asuka paled. "You can't be serious! It looks so ugly!"

"Of course it does. It's designed for extreme depths and temperature, not a garden party." Ritsuko said.

"So, Unit 02 is protected. But what about Asuka?" Shinji asked.

The redhead looked at Shinji and smiled. _He's concerned about me._

"Oh, the plugsuit she's wearing now has been specifically equipt to protect her while in the lava." Ritsuko said.

"How, exactly?" Asuka asked.

"Press the third button on your wrist."

Asuka looked at the button on her wrist, noticing a third button her old suit didn't have. "So what does this..." she pressed the button and her skin-tight suit, which had been hugging her curves very well, suddenly expanded like that child in Willie Wonka's factory. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" she suddenly shouted.

The scream was loud enough to knock Shinji's feet out from under him.

"Shinji-kun, are you alright?" Rei asked as she helped him to his feet.

"Yeah, Rei, I'm fine." Shinji said. "Just... caught me off guard."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Asuka shouted as she ducked back into the locker room. "I Am Not Going Out Like This!"

"Asuka, stop you're grumbling!" Misato shouted. "That design feature is meant to protect you from the heat of the lava while you're inside the protected and insulated Unit 02. Just like the D-Type equipment, it's not meant for looks."

"No kidding! What academic institution did you go to?" the redhead shouted.

"Oh, come on, Asuka! It's not like Shinji can see you."

"WHAT!"

"Oh, yes, bring me into this." the blind young man groaned.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(Undisclosed location...)

"Are you sure you're alright, sir?" Reiko asked.

"All things considered. But we need to make preparations." Owlsley said.

"To retrieve Kensuke."

"Yes. But before that, we need to remove the only obstacle to my plans."

"Daredevil."

Owlsley grimaced at that name. Having only met the vermilion vigilante once he was sure it would be no easy task. He had defeated Gladiator, a man twice his size and quite possibly trice his strength. He had defeated his men, with one punch each. And worse, he had found them when no other person or authority figure knew that they were in the country.

"We'll need a specialist to deal with our maroon malcontent." he grumbled.

"Did you have someone in mind?" Reiko asked.

"Obviously brute strength cannot overcome him. We need someone with skill, quickness. I want you to get me...Bullseye."

Reiko paled, whether it was from his suggestion or the man himself, even she didn't know.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  
(Mt. Asamayama- 5 minutes before mission start)

"Asuka. I just wanted to say good luck, and be careful." Shinji said into his comm. and hoped that everything went as planned.

"Always, and thank you Shinji." Asuka replied while giving a rather large smile. She then frowned when she realized that he couldn't see her beautiful smile.

_I wonder if she's smiling. She sounds confident at least_. Thought Shinji as he crouched down to the edge of the volcano and focused his senses to detect just where the Angel was. The whole volcano was rumbling, mildly from the active lava flow, but it was enough for Shinji to see it. It was hard to pinpoint, and if the Angel was there, it was deep.

Meanwhile, Rei adjusted the sights on her positron rifle, ready to kill the Angel if it got past Asuka and Shinji. Though, given Shinji's current record, that was unlikely.

Shinji couldn't tell if the Angel was mobile of not. Since he didn't feel anything, not an unusual vibration or eruption, he figured that the target was still inactive.

"Start the operation!" commanded Misato.

The massive EVA began its slow descent into the magma at Misato's orders. Asuka resisted the urge to impress Shinji with her diving technique, since he couldn't see anything anyway. Ten minutes later, a computerized voice interrupted the silence. "Maximum Safety Depth Reached."

"Asuka, can you see anything? Our calculations show that the Angel should be visible at your current position." Ritsuko stated.

"No, I can't see anything. It's like looking through tomato soup!" Asuka replied.

"Done that a lot have we?" Ritsuko asked. Asuka grimaced. "It's to be expected. It's possible that the magma's current has moved the Angel larva to a different location than when the probe found it. Odds are that since you haven't seen it already, it's below you."

"But we can't send her too much deeper, Ritz." Misato stated. "The D-Type Equipment was designed for this kind of thing, but even it's got limits."

Ritsuko sighed. "I hate to admit it, but you're right, Misato." she turned back to the communicator. "Asuka, the increase in pressure and temperature will keep doubling the further down you go. Do you want to continue?"

The response was to be expected.

"Of course I do! I haven't done my job yet." Asuka shouted back. At her request, the Eva started moving again. "Shiest it's hot!" she whined.

Suddenly the strap that was connected to the EVA's leg, which held the Prog. Knife, snapped under the pressure and started to sink into the volcano's depths. Then the D-Type suit started to moan as it too showed signs of giving way.

"Asuka! The suit can't take much more! We're bringing you up now!" Misato said.

"Wait! I see something!" Asuka called out, the monitors seeing what she saw. 

"That's it!" Ritsuko shouted. "Alright, use the electromagnetic cage to capture it!"

Asuka raised the beam pole slightly and effectively brought the rectangular case to encased the Angel larva in the barrier. The energy field powered on and the Angel was contained.

"Target captured. Beginning ascent!" she said with a sigh of relief as she pressed the 'up' button.

The crane started to haul her up, which only caused the Angel to wake up.

Somehow, Shinji sensed it and quickly shouted at the Second Child.

"ASUKA! THE ANGEL'S WAKING UP!" Shinji shouted.

Asuka looked down and was shocked to see that the Angel was in fact moving. It started growing and then exploded out of the electromagnetic barrier. It started swimming around the lava, too fast for Asuka to get a bead on it. She gasped as she felt a sudden blow against her suit.

"Damn it! Where is it!" Asuka shouted.

The impact blows kept coming, though Asuka could barely make out it's shadow unless it was close to herself. The bulkiness of the D-Type Suit was making it hard for Asuka to move. To add insult to more injury, she couldn't fight back because her knife had been lost earlier.

"What am I going to do?" Asuka asked as the Angel opened it's mouth and attacked her again.

"Asuka! Use the coolant!" Shinji suddenly called out.

"The coolant! But how?"

"Wait for it to get close, grab it, and then shove it into it's mouth!"

Asuka reacted before she could have argued, ripping the hose loose from the harness and jammed it into the Angel's mouth as it attacked her from the front.

_Perfect timing. _

She released the controls and pressed the coolant pump button at her left. The below-zero coolant flowed into the single hose that had broken off from the other four, flushing it right into the Angel's mouth. Born in the molten lava of the volcano, the sub-zero coolant that had kept Asuka from being cooked alive, was able to completely destroy it.

However, the battle had badly severed the harness, which broke under the extra stress and caused Asuka to descend back into the lava.

Asuka tried to think of a way to get out of this, but realized there was nothing she could do. _I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die. Good-bye, Shinji_. She thought.

But suddenly, she felt a jerk on her EVA. It had stopped descending.

"Huh?"

"Need a hand, Asuka?" Shinji's voice emerged over the com.

Through the dense murky lava, Asuka looked up and saw Unit 01 grabbing the harness and the red Unit 02. It's armor was melting, and inside Shinji was roasting, but he didn't care.

_He's blind and he's still risking his life for me. It's like he has no fear._ Asuka thought as Shinji slowly pulled the red EVA back to the surface.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Once the pair had returned to the surface, Misato and Ritsuko had the med-team standing by with a special hyper-cooling unit to spray his entry plug so that they could get him out without burning anything important.

After Shinji was out, and cooled down as well, he was met by a very agitated Major.

"I can't believe you disobeyed orders like that Shinji!" Misato screamed.

"I'm sorry, Misato. I couldn't stand by and do nothing." Shinji replied.

"I'm aware of that." she sighed. "At least you were successful. But how the hell did you know where Asuka would be? You're blind for crying out loud!"

She realized she probably shouldn't have said that, given that inside Unit 01 he could see, with a synch rate of 100, but she was just so upset and worried. But his synch rate hadn't reached a hundred and yet Shinji had found her.

"I just...hoped." he answered.

Misato looked stunned. "Hoped? You HOPED? You risked your life, her life, and a multi-billion dollar fighting machine on a HOPE?"

"When you're blind, you learn to go on a little faith."

Misato was obviously frustrated.

"Fine!" she said as she pulled the young on the sides of his head and pulled him into a passionate lip lock, and not caring if anyone saw her. "If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I'll make sure you don't pilot for a week." She whispered to him.

"Yes... Misato." he said, a little flustered from that kiss.

Her expression was rather smug, due mostly to the fact she still could have this effect on a guy. Even if he was blind. "Alright. Well, let's get going. I've got us booked at a hot springs nearby for some relaxation."

Shinji groaned. _Great. First molten lava and now we're going to sit in boiling water, and she's the one in charge?_

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"Ooooooohhhhhh! That's feels good." Misato moaned as she let the hot soothing waters envelop her supple naked body.

"You said it!" Asuka shouted as she sat next to her superior, equally naked and just as relaxed. She looked around to where Rei sat. "You coming in, Wondergirl?"

"It is too hot. I will wait." the blue-haired girl said as she sat on the bench between the pool and the entrance/exit, wrapped in her towel.

"Wait? The water isn't going to get any cooler. It's continuously heated."

Rei seemed impassive at that.

"Alright. Whatever." the redhead said, brushing off the conversation with the albino. "Hey, Misato?"

"Yeah?"

"Care to explain that little kiss you gave Shinji at the volcano?" she said, half teasing, half irked.

"That's nothing you need to be concerned about." Misato said casually.

"Oh, really? That didn't look like nothing, and I probably should be concerned. If you're going to be taking advantage of the blind like that."

"How dare you, you little..."

The pair squabbled for nearly ten minutes, until Misato broke the tension.

"Hey, Asuka, wanna take a peak over at the men's side?" Misato whispered.

"What?" the redhead gasped. "But... Shinji's over there!"

"If you're going to accuse me of taking advantage of the blind, then I'll do so in the most innocent way possible." she smiled mischievously. "Besides, its not like he'll be able to see us."

"I'm not a pervert Misato."

"All right. More eye candy for me then." she said as she got up and walked over to the wall that separated the men from the women's side.

Asuka was grumbling as she got up and nearly tackled the woman to keep her from glaring at the blind young man.

The next couple of minutes became a sight that any red-blooded man in the world would have given half his being and all of his soul to stare at for even five seconds. Two incredibly beautiful women, naked, still damp from the hot springs, both fully developed and with curves in all the right places, wrestling with each other minus their towels which had fallen off during the tussle.

Despite this, Misato had managed to reach the fence and scramble up it with Asuka wrapped around her waist. Asuka suddenly felt herself freeze and tense up as she heard the other woman shout.

"REI! What are you doing over there?"

"Huh?" Asuka gasped as she turned back to see that Rei had indeed left the bench on their side of the hot springs. She pulled away from Misato and practically scrambled over the fencing herself to see the blue-haired girl sitting next to Shinji while a happy Pen-Pen swam in front of them. "Rei what are you doing over there?" she repeated the older woman.

"It was much too loud over on the other side, so I came here." she simply stated.

"Rei, get back over here!" Misato shouted. "Nobody feels up Shinji but me!"

"What?" Asuka grumbled as she pulled herself off the wall and pulled Misato back into the spring. "Feel him up? I knew it! You've been taking advantage of him, haven't you!"

As the conversation started to heat up, resulting is various colorful analogies pertaining to sex, hentai women, and body parts, Shinji just sighed as Rei drew close to him and rested her head on his scarred shoulder.

"Uh, Rei?"

"Yes, Shinji-kun?"

"Why **are** you over here?"

"I find your presence more relaxing than the Major's and Second Child's." she answered.

Shinji just smiled and nodded, his hypersensitive hearing confirming the statement the young woman next to him made. Especially the loud splash that came next.

Rei's nakedness wasn't even a concern as she moved closer to him, their bodies rubbing against each other, yet no way more provocative than that of a simple hug.

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Author's Notes:

Hoped everyone liked this chapter. It was as accurate as I could make it, but I admit it felt a bit rushed. Also, this chapter has the added attachment of The Owl and a mention of Bullseye. How that's going to play out is going to be fun to see. I'm not giving you any hints, you're just going to have to read to find out.

The lava monster scene was fairly easy to write, since you couldn't see much as the images from the series were rather indeterminate allowing me to focus more on the pilots reactions.

In the series, Shinji threw his knife down to help out Asuka. This would have been redundant since it didn't do much good in the series, so I didn't add it and went straight for the coolant.

The Misato/Asuka scene at the end was done mostly on an impulse. Just a little fan service for everyone, mostly the men and lesbians, so enjoy.

Please read and review.


	9. Acid Reflux

**Chapter 9**

ACID REFLUX

Disclaimer: I do not own Eva or Daredevil, just like normal.

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"PARTY, PARTY, PARTY!" Misato shouted as she hefted her beer up.

"Honestly, Misato, you'd think it was you who got the new apartment." Ritsuko said.

"Ritz, not now!" Misato grumbled. "I've just lost my ward, which means a lot to me right now."

"Yes. I heard you seduced him." she half-teased, half-chided.

"Think what you want, but blind or not I couldn't have forced him into anything."

"Well, I suppose so." the blond said as she took another sip of her drink.

"Well, I'd like to know something." Asuka said as she made herself known.

"What?" the half-drunk Major asked.

"How was he?" she asked, Ritsuko leaning in as well to hear.

Misato paused seriously for a minute, remembering everything that had taken place that night. She remembered how he had taken his time with everything, slowly caressing every inch of her body. She only now realized that it was because he was blind that he did that, wanting to 'look' at all of her as best he could. A smile spread across her face as she looked at the women and even through half-blurry eyes you could tell she was serious.

"He was good."

On the other side of the room, the subject of the women's debate smiled.

"Shinji-kun?" a voice called him back.

"Yes, Rei?"

"Here is your drink." the blue-haired young woman said as she slipped the glass into his hand.

"Domo, Rei-chan."

While he sipped his drink, Rei looked around the apartment. Those assembled included herself, the Major, Dr Akagi, Second Child Sohryu, the three bridge techs: Ibuki, Aoba, and Hyuga, and the students from Tokyo-3 University: Horaki, Suzuhara, and Kirashima.

"I still can't believe that my ole buddy Ken is a crime boss." Toji said. "OWWW!" he said suddenly as Hikari slapped him.

"He isn't a crime boss, Toji!" Hikari chided him. "He's only related to them by an estranged marriage, get it right!"

"Jeez, you didn't have to hit me!"

"Wimp." Mana chuckled as she sipped her drink.

The couch on the far side...

"You can't tell me you're not interested." Shigure said.

"How can I be. I've never seen him." Maya stated.

"But dozens of people have seen him." Motoko said.

"Only criminals and Internet conspiracy sites, and you know those aren't reliable."

Shinji smirked as he overheard the conversation about him.

"Rei?" he asked his companion.

"Yes?"

"Father didn't come, did he." he said. It wasn't a question.

"He did not."

"Didn't think so."

The group assembled was doing so in celebration of Shinji's new apartment. Ritsuko had managed to get the Housing Department to assign the Third Child his own place, which was equipt with all the amenities a blind man would need.

For one thing it had a sensory depravation tank, which Shinji was looking forward to trying out. It had a voice activated telephone so that all Shinji had to do was speak the word 'Answer' and it would answer, instantly activating the speaker phone to allow two-way conferencing. If he spoke the words 'Caller ID' the computerized voice would tell him who it was before he answered it. It also had a special screening function that would allow it to block telemarketers and the like. The phone was also equipt with a 'Find Number' or 'Find Person' function that would instantly dial up any one in Tokyo-3. This was done by routing the calls through the Magi.

The apartment was as big as Misato's, with a fully stocked kitchen, the latest in television and video systems that had to be specially ordered and were mostly voice activated. This didn't make sense to Shinji since he couldn't see anything anyway, but he figured that Ritsuko was just trying to be funny. He had a queen sized bed with a voice-activated phone next to it, and a special touch-sensitive shower with a waterproof braille pad that gave him the exact temperature of the water.

There wasn't much of a color-scheme, but Shinji was blind so it didn't matter.

The apartment was located in the same complex of Misato's, just on the upper level. It had a large window and balcony, and even a fire escape access to the roof.

This set well with Shinji for a variety of reasons.

The party continued for a few more hours and eventually everyone left to go home. Because it was Friday there was little worry about going to school. But the NERV techs, the doctor and the Major had to be in by the afternoon at least.

"You have all our numbers programmed into your phone. If you need anything, just call us." Ritsuko said as she hugged the blind young man and headed out.

"Thanks, Dr Akagi." Shinji said.

"Ritsuko, Shinji. Ritsuko." she corrected him.

"Right." he apologized.

"Bye Shinji-Kun!" Misato slurred as she fell against Shinji and planted a big wet one on him.

The beer coming off her was nearly overwhelming to the hypersensitive young man.

Asuka pulled the woman off him and gave him her own kiss, on the cheek, before leaving.

"Bye, Shinji." the redhead said.

"Uh, bye."

Shinji couldn't see it, but Rei was scowling a little. Or at least as best as she could.

"I will see you later as well, Shinji-kun." Rei said as she gave him a lite hug and stepped out.

Hikari, Toji and Mana said their goodbyes, after the techs had left.

Shinji groaned after everyone had left.

_Alone at last. Party's over, time to get to work_. Shinji grinned as he headed to the bedroom and pulled out his dufflebag that had his suit in it.

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It had been less than a week since the volcano Angel incident and Daredevil was on the prowl once more.

_Feels good to be out once again_. He thought as he flipped through the air and landed on the rooftop of the building.

He paused for a second as he sensed something nearby. A commotion of some kind.

_A fight. _

He took off into a dead run and covered six blocks in less than a minute. Not an easy thing to do when you're jumping over rooftops to do that.

The sounds of the fight continued as Daredevil reached the edge of a rooftop that overlooked the event. He paused as he noticed something odd. A familiar scent that came from only one person.

_It can't be. _

Daredevil threw himself over the edge of the roof, throwing out his club and wire to catch the fire escape, slowing him enough to enable him to drop down onto two of the apparent thugs. His hyper senses detected five other people. One of them was familiar and the other four was attacking them.

Time to get to it.

Daredevil leaped into the air and split kicked two of the thugs in the heads, knocking them down as the other person threw a high kick to the third thugs throat, knocking him down. The fourth thug tried to strike at the person, only to be caught by Daredevil, pulled back and had his face slammed into by a red-gloved fist.

The thugs beaten, Daredevil glared at the other person, who only smiled.

"Hello, Shinji-kun."

Daredevil grabbed the person's arm and quickly lead them away.

"We need to talk. NOW!" he practically growled.

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"Why are you so upset, Shinji-kun?" she asked once they were safe and out of earshot of anyone.

"I'm not upset, Rei. I'm Furious!" he stomped around the rooftop clutching his clubs tightly. He had detected Rei via her scent when he first reached the rooftop overlooking the fight. He became even more convinced of it when he dropped down and got closer to the fight. Now that he had pulled her away from the alley and any prying eyes, he was confronting the problem head on.

"But why?" she asked.

"Why? You ask me why? Rei, this isn't a game!"

"I am well aware of this."

"You can't do this, Rei."

"You do."

"My reasons are different, besides I've had training for this kind of thing."

"I am sufficiently trained in hand-to-hand combat."

Shinji scoffed at that. She was referring to her NERV training. If those goombas in Section 2 actually considered that training, then Rei was in a lot of trouble.

"You're not ready for this, Rei. Not even close."

Rei cocked her head to the side. "Then you will teach me."

Shinji regarded her strangely.

"Teach you? Teach you to do what?"

"To be your partner."

That was a stunning thing to ask.

"Partner?" he gasped.

"Yes."

"Give me one reason I should I even allow you to do this?"

"The promise to keep your secret."

Shinji grimaced at that. Was she blackmailing him?

"You're blackmailing me?"

"I do not consider it blackmail. I wish to be your partner, yet you say that I am not ready. Therefore, you will train me to be ready."

"But you want to do this, why? What do you get out of this?" he asked, then a thought occurred to him. "Did the commander put you up to this?" he said with clenched teeth.

"Commander Ikari knows nothing of this. It is not his concern."

Shinji turned away from her and mulled over these thoughts in his head.

"I want to trust you Rei, but I'm not sure if you can be."

"Why do you say this?"

"Partners have trust for a reason. They have to depend on each other in any situation, and trust that they will come through for the other in the end. They also have to keep the secrets of their partners."

"I will keep your secret, in exchange that you train me as your partner."

"Now, see? Right there we have a problem. You want me to trust you, but you're blackmailing me into making you my partner."

"And for training." she added.

"How can I trust you if that's what your going to do?"

"Because it is not blackmail. It is an agreement. By taking me into your trust, you ensure my silence. By training me as your partner, you gain an ally. And by teaching me what you know, you ensure that I do not fail."

Shinji narrowed his lips, like he had just swallowed something sour. While he had to admit that she had logic on her side, there was still the issue of trust.

"But there's still the matter of trust, Rei."

"I trust you."

"But I'm not sure I trust you."

Rei tilted her head to the side rather cutely for a second. "Then how do I gain your trust?"

Daredevil thought about that for a couple seconds, then smiled.

"I have an idea."

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Twenty minutes later...

"I still do not understand the purpose of this test, Shinji-kun." Rei said as she tightened the knot.

"It's your first test, Rei." Shinji said as he breathed in slowly. "The purpose of which is to prove just how dedicated to this you are."

"What do you mean?"

"Where trust is concerned, especially between masked individuals, the first thing you have to learn is how to keep a secret."

"I will."

"That's not good enough, Rei-chan." He said as he moved away from her and leaped onto the railing. "Trust is something that has to be earned, and your word carries no weight."

"Then how do I..."

But before she could finish, Shinji leaped off the edge of the railing and plummeted down from the observation platform of the Tokyo Tower.

"DAREDEVIL!" Rei shouted as she leaped over the edge of the railing and dove after him.

The pair free-fell until Rei managed to catch up with Daredevil halfway to the ground. Rei quickly grabbed his billy club and tossed the wire part of it to snag on the Tower itself as she wrapped her other arm around Daredevil's prone form.

The club caught and the line went taut, Rei's arms suddenly straining from a double weight she was now trying to support.

"ARGH!" she groaned as she swung back and landed on one of the Tower's legs, just below the first level observation deck.

Once Rei and Shinji were safely under the observation deck of the Tokyo Tower, a nearly exhausted and irritated Rei turned to her friend.

"Why did you attempt such a reckless stunt?"

"To see if I could trust you, and you passed." he said with a smile.

"I...what?"

"It was a test, Rei. And you passed. You didn't call out my name in an extremely desperate situation, so you proved you could keep my secret. You could have easily let go of me when you felt your arms straining under the intense and sudden weight of both our bodies, but you didn't. And you could have easily just sat on the tower and watch me plummet to my death, but chose to try and save me. For those reasons, I can honestly say that I trust you."

"You...trust me?"

"Yes, I do. And starting tomorrow, I'm going to teach you how to properly be my partner."

"Thank you... Oni-kun."

He smirked. "But first things first."

"What is that?"

"Could you untie me?"

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Shinji and Rei arrived back at Shinji's apartment where the red-garbed young man and the blue-garbed young woman paused for a second.

"Rei, are you wearing a costume?"

"Yes. I made it out of the spare material that Dr Akagi used to make our new plugsuits. A few minor modifications and I was ready to venture forward into the city."

"I can I...see it?"

Rei understood what he was asking. "Yes, Oni-kun, you may."

Shinji moved towards her and placed his hands on her head to start. Though he couldn't tell what she looked like, even with his radar senses, his sense of touch told her that she was indeed wearing a modified version of the new plug suits that Dr Akagi had developed. She was wearing a cowl that was something like his, with horns and everything. It covered her whole head, excluding around her mouth.

His hands roamed down her face to her neck, down her shoulders and down her body.

He felt rather self-conscious about this, as if he were feeling her up. "I'm sorry, Rei, but I... I can't really see you like a normal person so I..."

"You do not need to apologize Shinji-kun." Rei said, a shudder going through her body. "I am well aware of your inability to see. This is... natural."

When Shinji was finished, much to Rei's mild irritation, Shinji stood up and 'looked' at her.

"You made your costume out to almost resemble mine."

"Yes, Oni-kun."

"I'm flattered. So, have you chosen a name, or do I have to make one up for you?"

"I wish to be called...The Blue Oni."

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It was two days later and Shinji and Rei had just started their new roles as partners. Or as Rei called it, Master and Student.

They were on their way to the NERV gym to practice, when they found that the doors weren't opening for them. They swiped their cards a couple times through the readers before they realized that the power was out. And not only at the train station, but across the whole city as well.

"What do we do now?" Shinji asked.

Rei started fumbling in her bag for something. "NERV Emergency Protocols." she said as she fished her orders out of her bag.

Shinji's ear cocked and he sensed the presence of Asuka running towards them.

"Hey, guys!" Asuka shouted a she arrived at the station. "The power's out all over the city."

"Yeah, we know. We're trying to get into NERV." Shinji explained.

"The proper procedure is to go to NERV using the emergency access tunnels." Rei said. "This way."

Reluctantly, the redhead German followed the blue-haired albino and the blind pilot.

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"I can't believe how hot it is in here." Maya Ibuki groaned as she sat at her console.

"I know. We've been so dependant on the air processors in the Geofront that we never considered what would happen if they actually went down." Ritsuko said. "How's the re-routing of the reactivation system coming?"

"Without full power it's taking some time. I can't believe that someone actually sabotaged us."

"I know. It's hard to believe that with everything that's happened, our greatest threat would come from our own species." Ritsuko sighed as she wiped the sweat from her brow. "At least the commander and sub-commander are setting a good example."

"Yeah. It must be a hundred in here and they're cool and collected."

However...

"It's hot." Gendo said from behind his gloved hands, his pants down around his ankles.

"I know." Fuyutsuki added, his bare feet soaking in a bucket of cold water.

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The trio of pilots were currently crawling through the air ducts trying to get to Central Dogma.

Rei was in the lead, Asuka following her closely and Shinji pulling up the rear.

"And don't you dare look up by skirt." Asuka growled back to the boy.

"That would be rather difficult." Shinji replied.

Asuka blushed as she continued crawling, silently cursing herself for forgetting that Shinji was blind. Shinji smiled as he could feel her heat level rise.

"So, any idea why the Geofront is shut down?" Shinji asked.

"The Geofront runs on it's own independent power source, a specially designed cold fusion generator that powers all of NERV. There is also a back-up geothermal generator that is tapped directly into the Earth's core, in case the generator fails." Rei explains. "It does not make sense to think that both power sources would fail."

"At the same time." Asuka added.

"So, what? Sabotage?" Shinji asked.

"It is possible." Rei said.

"But who would do that? NERV's mission is to protect the world, who would want us shut down?"

"I do not know, but it is clear we have more enemies than just The Angels."

The trio kept crawling through the ventilation system, until they heard something they didn't expect to hear.

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"There's An Angel Coming!" Motoko Hyuga shouted as he barreled through NERV in a hijacked campaigning van. "There's An Angel Coming!"

"An Angel? Now?" Ritsuko gasped as she looked down at the freaked out tech.

"Dr. Akagi, I'm going down to the Eva cages. Take charge here and let me know when the pilots arrive." The Commander said as he left to get the Evangelion's prepped.

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"Do you really think the pilots will arrive?" Maya asked.

"If I know those kids, they'll be here." Ritsuko said.

"I wonder where The Major is?"

"Probably stranded somewhere. With the power out most of the doors and lifts won't work."

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NERV elevator...

"If you're hot you could take off that jacket." the unshaven man said.

"Grrr. Don't even think about trying to take advantage of the situation, Kaji." Misato growled as she zipped up her balmy red jacket.

While she was irritated at their current state of affairs, and sorely tempted to rub it in that Shinji had been a better lover than him, she was just too hot and tired.

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"How are we looking, Maya?" Ritsuko asked.

"Good, sempai. The Eva's are all prepped. We just need the pilots." the short-haired tech said.

Suddenly, a noise from up above in the vents caught their attention.

"Stop poking!" came Asuka's voice.

"I can't help it." Shinji's voice spoke.

"Watch the hands!"

"How, exactly?"

"Your skin is very soft." Rei's voice came next.

"That's It!" Asuka shouted.

The grating fell open as Asuka Langley Sohryu fell through and crashed into the ground. Rei Ayanami was next, easily dropping herself down next to the groaning redhead.

"Shinji-kun?" Rei called up.

"Coming. Coming." Shinji said as he rolled out of the vent and held onto the opening as he stretched out and then dropped straight down to the floor.

"Good, you're all here. We've got an..."

"Angel headed to the city." Asuka said.

"Right, and we..."

"Need us to pilot the Eva's against it." Shinji said.

"Right, and you've..."

"Only got five minutes of power to do it." Rei finished.

Ritsuko looked stunned. "Right. So... let's get to it."

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_I can't believe that father was actually doing manual labor. He doesn't seem the type_. Shinji thought as he piloted the Eva through the master vent towards the emergency chute.

The Eva's came to the chute and started to climb. Suddenly, Shinji's paused as a searing pain on his shoulder.

"ARGH! What the..."

"Shinji! There's acid falling onto you." Rei shouted.

"Onto all of us!" Asuka shouted. "The Angel is pouring acid into the chute."

"Fall back!" Shinji shouted.

The Eva's fell back into the master vent, their weapons falling back down the chute as the acid fell as well.

"Well this is great! We've got less than three minutes and our weapons are down the shaft." Asuka groaned.

"We need a plan." Rei said.

Ten seconds of internal deliberation...

"I have it." Asuka said. "We'll divide up in three parts. The first party will position themselves into the chute to keep the acid from falling, at the same time, neutralizing the Angel's AT-Field. The second party will drop down the chute to hand the third party the rifle, who will be spread eagle across the chute, so they can kill the Angel."

Shinji and Rei nodded.

"I'll take the first part." Shinji said.

"Why?" Asuka asked.

"Uh..."

"Oh. Right." Asuka blushed.

"Alright, go!" Shinji shouted as he leaped forward and scrambled up the chute as far as possible.

"Ayanami! Go!" Asuka shouted as the First Child dropped down into the shaft and grabbed the nearest un-acid laced rifle.

"Second Child!" Rei shouted as she hefted the rifle into the air and was relieved that it was caught by Asuka.

"Alright!" Asuka shouted as she took careful aim and fired straight up.

The entire energy clip was emptied, penetrating the Angel's body and quickly ending it's life.

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"Power's restored!" Maya shouted.

"Excellent!"

"Alright!"

"Yes, air conditioning!"

"Status on the pilots!" Ritsuko asked.

"We're receiving a message from Rei. Asuka managed to use the energy rifle to eliminate it while Shinji neutralized the AT-Field." Maya said.

"Excellent." Ritsuko breathed a sigh of relief. "Send the recovery team to get the Eva's back to their cages."

"Yes, sempai."

"I hope the kids are okay."

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Unfortunately, such was not the case.

"Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god." Asuka gasped as she dropped the rifle.

"Are you alright, Shinji-kun?" Rei asked as her Eva cradled Unit 01, noticing the rifle shots that had struck Unit 01's gut, left leg and left shoulder.

"I'll be fine, Rei." Shinji groaned. "I just hate high synch ratios."

_And I was under the assumption that Shinji was blind_. Rei thought with considerable irritation.

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Elsewhere in Tokyo-3...

The cellphone rang.

(Is it done?)

"Yes, sir. It is." Bullseye said as he looked at the limp figures of Leland Owlsley and his assistant Reiko, both of whom had shuriken's lodged into their foreheads.

(Very good. Such a fool was Owlsley, thinking that he could exert control in our territory.)

_Right, like I care_. Bullseye thought as he picked up his shuriken's and replaced them on his belt. _A jobs a job, and Owlsley just didn't have the bucks to compete for my services. _

"So, what do you want me to do now?" he asked.

(You have the target objective?)

"Yeah. Nice looking guy." he said, holding up the photograph.

(The man is a threat to our agenda. Eliminate him at the earliest convenience.)

"Got it." he said as he closed the phone. _I don't know why you're paying so much for this one guy, Mr Keel Lorenz. He hardly seems worth the effort. But... a jobs a job. Still, I wouldn't mind real challenge once in a while._

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Author's Notes:

I'm sorry if the last section seemed a little rushed. I was working on a self-imposed deadline. Anyway, here we are up to the 9th Angel battle, Rei has revealed herself to Shinji and become his new partner, and taken a code-name as well.

Sorry if there wasn't much of a Misato/Kaji scene, but I was more focused on Shinji and company.

Also, most of this story was dedicated to Daredevil and his new partner, which cut the NERV and Angel scene rather short. If I get the chance I'll probably update and add to it, but right now, just be happy with what you have.

Please read and review.


	10. The Man Who Never Misses

**Chapter 10**

THE MAN WHO NEVER MISSES

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Disclaimer: I own nothing, NOTHING!

Authors Notes: I know, I know, it's been a long time since I updated this story. I apologize for that. I've been busy with my other projects and I kinda forgot about it. But now I'm back and I'm here to pick up where I, or should I say, Shinji and company left off.

Last time on Devil of Eva: Shinji and company had just defeated the spider-like 9th Angel, Bullseye had just killed The Owl, his assistant, and was given a new assignment.

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Rei drew her dagger and slowly, silently crept up on Shinji as he sat at his desk. He was going over his braille-printed reports that Misato had sent him about the last battle as Rei continued to creep up on him.

She was about two meters from Shinji ready to strike, when the blind man picked up and crumpled a piece of paper and tossed it back, striking Rei in the forehead.

She sighed in defeat.

"Not bad, Rei-chan. When you're able to sneak up on me without being detected, then you will be ready to solo." he said with a smirk.

"Yes, Shinji-kun." she said as she replaced the dagger in its sheath.

"Good. Now get to bed, we've got classes in the morning and testing in the afternoon."

"We are not going to do a patrol tonight?" she asked innocently.

Shinji paused. He touched the bandages on his gut. A reminder of the 9th Angel battle where Asuka had shot him in his gut, left leg and left shoulder. Three days and he wasn't fully healed, mostly due to his high synch rate with Unit 01.

Not that that had ever stopped him before.

He sighed deeply. The curse of the double life.

"Of course."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(The bowels of NERV...)

"How is the project coming?" Gendo asked as he entered the office.

"IT needs further testing." Ritsuko said with a hiss as she continued working with the chemicals in the Bunsen beakers.

"We have a volunteer standing by." the commander said.

Ritsuko scoffed at that. A 'volunteer' indeed. It was just another one of Gendo's lackies. Probably from his questionable Section 2 security detail who were only loyal for the money.

"The serum isn't ready, commander." Ritsuko said again.

"NERV has suffered a security breach that nearly resulted in a Third Impact."

_Exaggerating a bit, aren't you?_ She thought as the blue liquid started turning a nice bright green tint.

"We need to strengthen our position. Tighten our security." Gendo said.

_Then hire better guards_. She mentally groaned.

"Will the formula work?" he asked.

Ritsuko gave him a slight scowl, as if she had just been insulted. "I don't have to remind you that the original Performance Enhancer research, which was started back in '99 and discontinued right after Second Impact, hasn't even been looked at since. And I also don't have to remind you that I've only had 24-hours to synthesis a working formula, and even that won't guarantee the implied 800 enhancement of a human being."

"But the formula has been successfully recreated?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. How soon until it can be administered?"

"Theoretically the serum is ready now, but..."

"Then I will summon the candidate."

"BUT... I recommend at least another week to make sure the serum is safe. If we were to use it now, without the necessary testing and trials, it could, conceivably, create a hulking brute of incredible strength and severely diminished intelligence."

"Sounds like the perfect soldier."

Ritsuko looked at Gendo in shock. _I can't believe I'm sleeping with this man._ "Commander, such a being could not be controlled, by anyone. It would be a mistake."

"Very well, doctor. You have a week." he said as he walked out of the office.

Ritsuko stared at the man as he left, her eyes practically burning a hole in the back of his head. He didn't fool her. That was too easy. She knew he was up to something.

_But what?_

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Daredevil and Blue Oni leaped through the air and came down hard on the roof. Ignoring the pain in his sides, the scarlet swashbuckler lead the indigo avenger across the skyline of the city.

It had been a fairly easy night in the two hours they had been out.

Two muggers, three car thieves, a foiled rapist, and a trio of bank robbers trying to make a late night withdrawal.

He could hear Rei behind him, breathing steadily as she kept pace with him. He smiled at that, as he realized she was definitely getting better.

_Now, if we could just find a gang of ninja's to fight. That would be a real test for her_. He thought as he leaped across another building divide as the young woman followed him.

However, the real test, would be coming up soon.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the subhuman brute screamed as he backhanded the Section 2 agents and tore through the hallways of NERV.

"All sections on alert! Stop target at all costs!" the agent shouted into the radio.

(This is Section 2! Target is continuing unabated down hallway 12! Bullets not AAAAAHHHHH)

"Respond! Respond! Damn it." the guard groaned as his radio hand fell to his side.

"Status report?" Gendo asked as he stood up, body weary from the sudden 'being-thrown-against-the-wall' move.

"Target is proceeding down hallway 12, sir." the agent said, gingerly stepping over the broken glass and twisted metal that was once Dr Akagi's lab.

"Hallway 12? There isn't anything down that way except... Oh god!"

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji and Rei continued over the rooftops, suddenly pausing as Shinji's hyper-sensitive hearing picked up something that Rei didn't distinguish right away.

It was a roar. A roar that was neither human nor animal, Shinji noticed.

"What was that?" Blue Oni asked as she looked around the roof, trying to determine the source of the sound.

"Trouble." Daredevil said as he took off in the appropriate direction as Blue Oni followed.

The pair covered the distance in only a minute and paused as they came to the rooftop where they 'saw' the giant monster tearing up the streets and building fronts.

"What is it Oni?" he asked, his radar-sense being able only to make out a large, vague image.

"A deformed humanoid. It is difficult to accurately gauge it's size, but it appears to be quite massive and incredibly strong." she analyzed for him.

Daredevil creased his brow. "Strength or not, innocent people are in danger. Let's move." he said as he leaped over the side with the blue girl right after him.

Down on the street, the hulking brute continued to toss cars left and right.

The pair flew down to the street which was all but deserted, including the three of them. Daredevil had used his billy club while Blue Oni used her own modified grappling hook to descend.

Had Daredevil and Blue Oni not been so occupied by the hulking brute in front of them, they would have noticed that he had broken out of the emergency exit shaft that connected to the Geofront.

"What is the plan?" she asked.

"Stop him." he replied.

"That is not a plan." she stated.

"Didn't say it was." he said before taking off.

The hulking brute was nearly 9 feet tall with huge rippling muscles and an attitude to match. He was dressed in a tattered white shirt and ripped jacket, his pants actually holding up despite the enhanced physique he possessed. He picked up a parked car with one hand and tossed it down the street where it exploded after colliding with another parked car. He roared once more until his attention was caught by an object striking him hard in the back of the head.

He turned around to see a man in a red costume, twirling a red metal stick in his hands, standing in the middle of the street as a smaller figure in a blue costume moved up behind him.

He huffed at the man in red.

"Who are you?" Daredevil asked.

"HAI-DE!" he croaked out in a gruff, harsh tone that Daredevil could barely make out.

"Mr... Hyde? Guess that's appropriate."

Hyde wasted no words and lunged at the man. Daredevil didn't have to have his eyesight to avoid the brute's attack. With blazing speed, the man without fear spring boarded off his feet, leaping over the hulking brute, sprung off his hands back onto his feet. Blue Oni quickly cartwheeled out of the brutes path as he continued to run, turning around and charging back at the man in red.

Daredevil extended his billy club to staff-length and tossed it at the brute. The spinning staff found it's way between Hyde's legs, tripping the brute and resulting in him being dropped hard onto his face and stomach.

It didn't last but two seconds as Hyde got back up and attacked once again. Daredevil hopped back on his feet to avoid the sledgehammer blows of his opponent. He jumped into the air, leap-frogging over the brute massive muscles, and snatched up his staff. He switched his staff to nunchucks and swung at Hyde as he attacked once more, nailing him repeatedly in the face and arms.

"ARGH!" Hyde shouted, clearly getting annoyed at the stings the man was inflicting on him. He was so distracted by the crimson crusader that he failed to notice the sapphire swashbuckler charge him from behind, essentially climb up his back and wrap her slim legs around his thick throat. She then proceeded to strike at his head with both fists. He howled at the annoyance atop him and whip-lashed his own neck to violently toss her off. Her body went limp as she tumbled to the asphalt street.

"ONI!" Daredevil shouted as he ran up to Hyde and lashed out again with his nunchucks, striking the massive brute with his weapon, again annoying and slightly injuring him. He paused, intertwined his fingers together to make a single fist, brought them up over his head and dropped the large meaty extremities down into the asphalt street.

The deafening impact caught him off-guard as the sudden backhand sent Daredevil flying into a wall. Hyde made his move and loomed over the stunned man in red. He raised his fist over his head, right to strike down at the vermilion vigilante, when a steel wire suddenly wrapped around Hyde's neck.

"NO!" Blue Oni shouted as she jumped on the brute's back, the steel wire she had found amid the wreckage Hyde caused, wrapped tightly around his throat.

Hyde thrashed around trying to throw the lithe young woman off his back yet again. His muscles were so massive he couldn't reach up to pull her off of him. Rei was in a virtual safe zone.

However, Hyde still had one trick up his ripped sleeves.

He reared up and started running backwards until he slammed hard into the steel fencing across the street, with Blue Oni bearing the brunt of the collision.

"AHH!" she shrieked, but held on tight, the fence molding to their shape.

Hyde slammed her up against it again, and again, moving along the fencing and then slamming her hard into the stone wall of the alleyway. Because of his strength, he actually made an impression, with Blue Oni in the center of it.

The impact was enough to cause her to let go and slump down onto the ground just before the alley entrance. Hyde turned to the defeated and dazed young woman and was about to finish her off, when a pair of red boots slammed into his head, knocking him back slightly.

Hyde growled as he turned to face the man in red once more.

"Over here, Hyde! Fight me!" Daredevil shouted as he tossed himself into the air and roundhoused the brute.

The kick had little effect on him, but it did serve to get the brute to chase the vigilante. Daredevil back-flipped away as the overly muscled brute charged him again.

_At least Rei's safe now_. Shinji thought as Hyde kicked at the asphalt street, sending chucks of flying highway directly at the blind man. Daredevil twisted through the air, avoiding each piece of flying asphalt as the hulking brute slammed into him with an uncanny burst of speed. The impact knocked the wind out of his lungs as Hyde plowed into the shop entrances on the other side of the street, pushing Daredevil through it.

Blue Oni groaned as she woke up in time to see Daredevil fly through the shop wall and tumble into the street.

"No." she said as she grabbed a shard of steel that had accompanied Daredevil as he flew through the wall of the store.

Hyde stepped out of the shop and moved towards the groaning figure on the ground. He growled again, failing to notice the azure avenger emerge from behind him and jump onto his back, shoving the shard into the base of his neck.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the brute shouted in intense pain as his violet spasm tossed Blue Oni off him.

The young woman leaped off the brute, flipped backwards and landed on the ground, moving as fast as she could to avoid Hyde's attacking. However, as she leaped back he was caught by a backhand strike to the side of her torso that sent her flying into another stone wall, right arm first.

"OOHHFF!" she cried out as she crumbled to the ground.

Hyde moved towards her and raised his foot, planning to push this troublesome girl into the hard pavement.

"HYDE! Right Here!" Daredevil shouted as he tossed the billy club at Hyde, striking at his ear.

Most people know that a persons equilibrium is located in their earlobe. By striking at it in such a way, causing the equilibrium to shift, which toppled the giant brute onto his back.

Daredevil's insides were on fire. His costume was torn and he was bleeding rather heavily.

He dug into his street with his toes and launched himself towards the pair. Leaping over the slowly recovering brute, he scooped up Blue Oni and put some distance between him and Hyde. Once he had accomplished that, he set her down gently and charged back to the brute as he stood up.

"HEY! We're Not Finished!" Daredevil shouted as he punched Hyde in the face.

Hyde lashed out with his massive arm as Daredevil quickly ducked, delivering a second punch before the massive brute swung back and knocked the vigilante back, sending him flying against the wall where Rei sat.

"This is... not... working..." Oni gasped as Daredevil struggled to sit up.

"Maybe not. Let's try another tactic." he groaned, spitting blood out as he charged Hyde again. "Over Here You Monster!" he shouted as he picked up his billy club from the street and tossed it at Hyde, nailing him in the forehead. "Come And Get Me!"

Hyde roared loudly, the reverberating echo illuminating the area in Daredevil's mind. He turned to one of the structures and ran to it. Hyde gave chase.

Daredevil leaped through the broke-open window, feeling Hyde right behind him. He knew that the building had been evacuated. He could detect the almost overwhelming smell of pesticides coming from the upper level of the building. They were fumigating, so the whole place had been cleared out.

"HYDE! Over Here!" Daredevil shouted as the brute lunged at the man without fear.

Daredevil dodged several punches as he hopped backwards, each of Hyde's blows striking at the stone and steel walls. However, his earlier battle with the brute had made him a little slower and he was suddenly caught and pulled into a bone-crushing bear hug as Hyde lifted him off the floor. He could feel his insides contracting, his bones rubbing against his organs. He couldn't break free of the brutes grip, so he had to make him let go.

"RRRRAAAAAAHHHHHH!" the crimson crusader shouted as he found the strength to pull his arms free and slam his hands into the side of Hyde's head at once.

"AAAAHHHH!" Hyde shrieked as he let go of Daredevil, hugging his ears in pain.

Daredevil coughed up more blood, his lungs on fire as he fought to stand. He was battered, bruised and tired as hell. His side-wounds had long since opened up, and new wounds were pouring blood as well.

He now regretted not staying home.

Daredevil's hearing suddenly picked up the sounds of creaking and grating, coming from the building itself. As the sounds got louder, Daredevil made one final burst of strength, pushing off his legs as he leaped out the window. He got out just as the final pillar broke, causing the entire seven-story apartment building to come crashing down around the brute still on the bottom floor. He grabbed his ears to hold back the noise of the collapsing building. I mere minutes, the noise had ceased and the building was down.

"If that doesn't stop him..." Daredevil said after several seconds, before the rubble started to shift.

"ARGH!" Hyde screamed as he broke free of the debris, his body still half-imbedded in the rocks.

"Damn it." he cursed under his breath as he readied himself for another round of battle.

It was a battle that never came as suddenly, the brute fell forward and collapsed onto his chest.

Daredevil listened closely as the sounds of Hyde's heartbeat ceased.

"... right." he sighed in relief.

Daredevil slowly moved back to where Blue Oni was sitting.

"Oni, how are you?" he gasped.

"I am... unharmed." she replied.

Daredevil knelt down, his own body winching in pain as he ran his hands over her body, tapping her lightly in certain places.

"You've got two broken ribs, sprained right ankle, fractured right arm, and dislocated left shoulder." he examined, having experience in those forms of injuries.

"Considering our opponent, that is unharmed." she replied.

"Smart alec." he said as he firmly gripped her shoulder blade.

She gave a muffled grunt as her shoulder was reset, then quieted down as he scooped her up in his arms and headed off into the shadows.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(NERV headquarters, medical autopsy, one hour later...)

"Performance Enhancer Candidate: Jaken L. Haide, pronounced dead at 23:06 hours. Cause of death: inordinate amount of exertion of his physical body due to utilizing the untested strength enhancing serum before it was ready for production. His organs couldn't take the strain." Ritsuko said into the medical recorder. "Not to mention having a building fall on him."

"Jaken L. Haide. Jekyll and Hyde." Gendo mused, limping behind her. "It's almost poetic."

She wanted to tell him, 'I told you so'. Tell him, 'I was right, you should have listened to me and not your overinflated ego' Oh, how she wanted to.

But she was smarter than that.

"How soon can the project be reinstated?" Gendo asked.

"Never." she answered, covering the head of the deceased brute.

"Pardon?"

"Mr Hyde here, tore through the entire lab, destroying virtually everything, including the notes and data files on the Performance Enhancer. And I didn't make any back-ups."

"Why not?"

"Because I didn't think anyone would use the untested serum, inside my own lab, right after I was given a week to properly test the serum, so I just left the notes by my computer. Which is now imbedded in the wall." she motioned to her new wall decoration.

Gendo grunted, said nothing, and just limped out of the office.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(Shinji, this is Ritsuko. Sorry, but... your synch tests have been pushed back by about a week or so. The Commander's got me working on something else. I know you're very disappointed, but it can't be helped.) The phone message player stated after Shinji had pressed it.

Actually, what she didn't tell Shinji was that Hyde's little rampage had damaged several corridors and part of the testing center, so they needed to get everything repaired before the majority of NERV found out about the monster they had created.

(You'll be contacted later when the tests are to resume)

"Well, at least there's some good news." Shinji chuckled as he helped Rei to the bathroom to bandage her up.

Shinji helped Rei out of her costume and she out of his. Rei had no compunction about her naked form, and Shinji was blind to boot. They stepped into the shower and let the water beat down upon them both.

Sweat and grim were washed off, mixing with the blood from their wounds. Shinji leaned against the tiled walls of the shower, his entire body sore and hurting, his legs barely being able to hold him up. Rei looked at her partner/teacher/friend/fellow pilot and realized he had taken far more damage and punishment than she had. She had fought, but he had defeated Hyde, protected her at the same time, and had even carried her back to his apartment.

Without his sight, and he had done it yet again, causing himself great pain in the process.

For the first time in her life, she felt her heart truly begin to break as she stared at the injured man before her. A sight that sent a warm rush through her body she never expected to feel.

Her body was as sore as his, but to a lesser degree. She fell to him, closing the distance between their lips and bodies, meshing herself against his naked body.

Shinji's body woke up from it's brief nap as he felt the shapely young woman rub up against him. He felt too weak to move as she assaulted him. However pleasant it felt, Shinji mustered the strength to grip Rei's shoulders and lightly push her away.

"Rei-chan?" he asked.

"Please, Shinji-kun. Allow me this." she said as she kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Rei-chan... you're injured. We shouldn't be doing this." he said, fighting fatigue all the while.

"My lips are not broken." she said as she leaned in and gently kissed him on the cheek and mouth while the water streamed down their naked bodies.

"Rei..."

"I am sorry, Shinji-kun." she said as she pulled herself to him in a tight hug, body pressed up against his own, her head nestling into the crook of his neck.

Shinji and Rei's hearing was sharper than most, enabling them to hear each other even over the running water of the shower itself.

"Sorry? For what?" he asked.

"I am a failure." she said, sadness in her voice he noticed.

"What are you..." he started to say, unconsciously embracing her to comfort her.

"You were correct. I am not ready. In my eagerness to prove myself to you, I have injured myself and you as well. You saved my life and defeated Mr Hyde."

"But you're alive to learn from your mistakes."

"I require more training."

"Experience isn't useless."

"And I lack both."

Shinji pulled Rei in closer. "Don't give up on yourself, Rei-chan." he whispered. "I won't."

Rei pulled her head up and tenderly brushed his lips with her own.

Shinji lifted his hands up and gently ran his hands over her face, trailing down her neck, shoulders, arms, torso, and stopped on her hips as the water continued to rain down on them.

"Shinji-kun?"

"You are beautiful, Rei-chan."

She smiled as she pulled herself closer and kissed his lips. This time... Shinji returned the kiss.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji helped Rei to the bed and gently set her down onto it. They had kissed and hugged in the shower, but could do no more than that, as they were too injured and drained of any energy. Were they not so wounded, they would have made love that instance.

Something else they could 'thank' Hyde for.

"You need to rest, Rei-chan." Shinji said as he set the girl down onto the bed.

She was wrapped in bandages, from her upper stomach, her right arm, and even her ankle.

"You're going to be out of action for awhile, so you need to take it easy."

"Can you... stay with me, Shinji-kun?" she asked, gripping his wrist with her left hand.

"Rei, I don't think that's..."

"Please. I just wish to sleep next to you. I find your presence... comforting."

He sighed. "Alright, Rei-chan."

He got into the bed as she gently curled up next to him, careful not to press down on her injuries. She snuggled up as close as she could , wrapped her uninjured arm across his chest.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It was four days later...

Ritsuko and Kaji were at a wedding for a friend. Ritsuko had been with them, but left on her own, needing to get back to NERV for yet another project.

This left Kaji and Misato alone

After throwing up in an alleyway, Misato opted to be carried back to her apartment by Kaji.

"I can't believe that with all you drink, you'd know when to reach your limit. Throwing up in an alleyway. Really." Kaji stated.

"You need to shave." the woman slurred.

As the pair continued to walk, a bald-headed man in a long leather coat was riding towards them.

Bullseye had been told to eliminate Kaji at his earliest convenience. To an assassin, that could mean any length of time. In the last four days, Bullseye had been having a little fun, driving around the city scouting for people to kill, keeping tabs on his target and what, and even who, he was doing. He had heard a rumor that there was a devil in this city and had been trying to find out if this was true. Thus far it had proven to be only a rumor.

He had just leaned that his target was walking back from a wedding reception, and decided to make his move.

Gunning the engine, Bullseye roared through the city streets towards his destination.

There he is. Bullseye thought as he jumped up on his stolen bike and tapped his belt. The shuriken popped out of his belt into his hand. A sharp flick of his wrist and the throwing star soared through the air, through the glass of the delivery truck that was just passing by, and into the drivers neck.

The truck swerved off to the side and slammed into the building just behind Misato and Kaji.

"Misato, look out!" Kaji screamed as grabbed the woman and dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the huge truck.

Misato, still a bit drunk, groaned as she landed but couldn't get up. However, Kaji did. He was a little dazed, but he could at least stand up.

Bullseye plopped down onto the seat and pulled up about a half-block from where Kaji was and grinned at him.

"This is too easy." he grinned as he pulled out another shuriken.

Just then, an athletic figure in red leather appeared out of nowhere and landed between them both.

_He's real._ Kaji gasped as he noticed the scarlet swashbuckler.

Bullseye had the same thought, and grinned. Then threw a shuriken directly at the red-garbed figure.

Daredevil's sense easily detected the whistling object, his ninja-honed senses allowing him to easily evade the projectile, which flew past him and imbedded itself in the taillight of the delivery truck behind him

"I missed." Bullseye gasped, stunned. "I Never Miss!" he growled.

He turned the bike towards Daredevil and gunned the accelerator handle. Daredevil charged down the street towards Bullseye. Right before they collided, Daredevil leaped into the air and threw a 'Sonic Kick' right into Bullseye's jaw, knocking him off the bike and into the street. Daredevil flipped around and landed with the skill and grace of a gymnast nailing their landing after a routine as the bike went skidding along the ground and came to a stop in the middle of the street.

Daredevil went for his billy club in his holster, but found it gone.

"Drop something?" Bullseye growled, holding up the club that had fallen out during the 'kick'.

Daredevil's attention was caught by the assassin's voice as he turned his head to him.

Bullseye jumped to his feet, twirled the billy club in his hand and threw the weapon directly at Kaji. Daredevil's senses got a bead on his weapon, realizing that it was headed right for Kaji. He leaped at the weapon's trajectory in an attempt to grab it. However, that was the moment the bike chose to explode. The sound of the blast fragmented his 'vision' causing him to miss his thrown club, his own injuries from his fight with Hyde causing his movements to slow.

Hell, he was lucky he pulled off that little motorcycle kick when he did. His wounds had opened up once again.

However, his inability to act caused his own weapon to slam hard into Kaji's chest.

"That's why they call me...Bullseye!" the assassin said as he fled into the night.

Daredevil froze as the realization of his failure hit him. Misato was not so frozen as she saw the red billy club sticking out of Kaji's chest, and the red-garbed vigilante not fifteen meters away.

She was so entranced by what had just happened, she didn't notice other object fall out of the sky and land next to Kaji's body.

Bullseye grinned from above the scene, atop the building he had scrambled up onto, and just watched as the woman who was with his target pull a gun out of her purse and fire it off at the devil man.

Misato fired at the crimson crusader, the echoing bullets snapping Daredevil out of his daze as instinct took over and he dodged to the side, disappearing into the night.

Misato kept firing until she was out of bullets.

Bullseye grinned as he watched the scene, realizing that he would get his chance at the devil soon enough.

Shinji ran off into the night. Trying to reason with Misato wasn't possible now, and convincing her that he didn't do it was out. As he raced back to his apartment, one thought was on his mind. The smell he had detected coming from Kaji's body. A flowers scent.

A red rose.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji managed to get back to his apartment where Rei was waiting.

He went right to where his spare costumes and weapons were stored, grabbing them and thrashing them around, ultimately making a mess that was slowly scaring Rei.

"Shinji-kun, what is wrong?" she asked, noticing his aggravated expression.

"I... I failed, Rei. I failed." he groaned as he fell to his knees in weariness.

Rei moved towards him and embraced him fully, comforting him as best she could.

"Rei... hand me my phone." he whispered to her after several minutes.

"Here. Use mine." she said, pulling her cellphone out of her pocket and handing it to him.

"Dial this number." he said, giving her the number as she punched it in, placing the phone next to his ear and mouth as she continued to hold her.

(Yes.) The female voice on the other side said.

"Misao? It's Shinji. I found him. He's in Tokyo-3. Please hurry."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

**OMAKE** by rbfd2k5gmail. com

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" scream the child shaking off the offender hand with a quick hit

"Relax boy... or girl... I can't be certain your voice is a little confusing."

"Girl? what's with you? are you..."

"...Blind? of course I am." Shock, irony, fate, what? just a game, a funny joke that the only person to take notice of this child is another blind person. "And I can tell that you are too, right?"

"Ha! A very good observant, aren't we?" the sarcasms can't be more obvious. "Well, I can say that yes... like I can say from your smell that you haven't taken a bath in a very long time, and from your foul breath I can bet that you haven't eaten anything..."

"NO SHIT SHERLOCK! What are you doing here wasting your skills when you can be up there solving crimes?" If the child could see, he could not missed the ironic smile in the face of the man

"I just want to help you." the man said.

"Pfffrr Sorry Jerk, but I don't sell my body or anything like that to get by."

The child misses the hard frown in the face of the man, for obvious reasons.

"I don't want anything like that."

"So, what do you want from me?" the boy asked.

"NOTHING!" he said firmly. "Just help you."

"WHY?"

"Cause, when I was in your position, someone helped me too."

The child is very surprised... these words were with so much sincerity, with so much conviction... maybe, just maybe... No, it can't be, in this cruel world nobody gives something without wanting something in return, and this man can't be the exception... but in this moment, the boy doesn't have anything to loose and if the guy tried to lay a finger on him... well, the one in pain will be he, not the child...

"Okay." Again the child misses something in the face of the man... a brilliant and really sincere smile.

"Thanks for let me help you... and, what's your name child?"

"They call me "Shinji", and yours?"

"My name is Murdock. Matt Murdock."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Authors Notes:

Here it is after about three months in limbo. Hope everyone enjoyed the double villain showcase I gave you.

If the Bullseye scene was a little... lite, I apologize. I'll get to the fight between Daredevil and Bullseye later. The battle between Daredevil, Blue Oni and Hyde does take up a majority of this chapter.

Also for that battle, I planned to have Rei, Misao, Misato and Asuka get into the mix. And Ritsuko will have prominent scene in that chapter.

I'm probably going to throw in another Daredevil comic villain later, so be on the lookout for that.

And I hope everyone liked the omake that rbfd2k5gmail. com sent me a while back.

Read and Review and please read my other stories.


	11. Seeing Red

**Chapter 11**

_**SEEING RED**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Eva or Daredevil.

Author's Notes: It's been a while since I updated this story, since I've been busy with my other projects and I've been working seven-days a week. I haven't abandoned it just like you see here.

Summary: A battle against My Hyde slows Daredevil in his attempt to stop the assassin Bullseye, ending up getting Kaji killed. Now, the Man Without Fear must face down a new enemy, as well as a pair of revenge-minded women in Misato and Asuka.

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KICK, KICK, KICK!

Asuka repeated the action as many times as possible on the heavy bag with her right leg, then alternated with her left leg.

Across the way, Misato was curling the free-weights, right now over 120 lbs.

Anyone who looked at them would have thought they were preparing to take the Angels on by their lonesome.

The truth was... they were training to hunt the Devil himself.

"HEY! YOU!" Asuka shouted to one of the passing by Section 2 agents.

"Yes?" the agent asked.

"Get In Here!" she snapped.

Within ten seconds the man was flat on his back.

"You know Asuka, if you wanted some sparring partners, I could have just called in a bunch of guys for you to spar with." Misato said as she put down the weights.

"Spar? I'm not looking for a spar! I'm itching for a fight!" the redhead growled.

All of Section 2 felt a shiver go up their spines for some unknown reason.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Three days ago Ryoji Kaji had been killed, a strange billy club thrust into his chest while he and Misato were coming back from a wedding reception.

While Misato had missed the actual assassin, in Bullseye, thanks to her drunken state, she had seen Daredevil's crimson form, and the red billy club Bullseye used didn't help much in that respect.

Asuka had been informed the same night, and flew into a blind rage, literally tearing her apartment to pieces.

Daredevil himself had little more trouble with this, only because he was, in a way, responsible for causing Kaji's death.

He may not have stuck the club in his chest, but he did provide the means. The guilt had been bad enough for him to take, so much so that he didn't go anywhere for those three days, just letting Rei comfort him in the confines of their apartment.

It was on the third day, that a new person came to Shinji's door.

KNOCK, KNOCK!

Rei went to answer the door, opening it to find an attractive woman in traveling clothes.

"May I help you?" Rei asked the woman.

"My name is Misao. I'm looking for my brother, Shinji." the woman said.

Rei nodded and let the woman inside. "We have been expecting you." she said as she closed the door behind her.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Their reunion hadn't been what she expected.

When Misao had received a call from Shinji about the assassin who had killed her grandfather she hightailed it to Tokyo-3 as fast as possible with everything she felt she would need. Upon arriving she expected to see her 'brother' in a bit of a state... but not this.

He was sullen, depressed, almost like a pale copy of himself.

After hearing what had happened, Misao couldn't blame him, though she thought he was taking this whole thing rather hard.

And to be honest... she didn't like it.

KICK!

Shinji went flying across the room, slamming into the far wall.

"Get up, Shinji! You've had three days to sulk! Time to get back to business!" Misao shouted as she walked up to the boy and started kicking him.

"STOP THAT!" Rei shouted as she leapt at the woman, who sidestepped and tapped the blue-haired girl, knocking her into the opposite corner.

"Not until he gets up." Misao said to the girl, turning back to Shinji. "Look At You!" she shouted. "This isn't what our sensei trained you for! He didn't train you, teach you, to be weak!" she shouted again as she stomped on his leg. "He believed in you!" she kicked him again. "I believed in you!" she kicked him again. "I... am ashamed to call you brother." she said as she threw another kick... only to have a hand catch it.

If Shinji had normal eyes, both Rei and Misao would have seen him glaring hard at them.

Glaring because he was mad.

Mad at himself for letting Kaji die. Mad at himself for letting Bullseye escape. And mad at himself for disgracing the memory of the only real father figure he had every truly known.

Misao was right. He was weak. That weakness had cost him the chance to catch the man responsible for killing his sensei. A man both he and Misao had been looking for for years. Now that they were so close, that they knew he was at least in the city, there was really no time to wallow in self-pity.

Shinji pushed the foot away and scrambled back onto his feet, despite his injuries. He gestured for her with his hand to approach him, attack him.

She smiled as she lunged at the boy.

To the side, Rei just watched as both man and woman threw punches and kicks at each other. Misao was the more aggressive in this, but Shinji used that to his advantage. He blocked and dodged her attacks as best he could, finding it easier than he thought possible. She still landed a few good hits in addition to the beating she had just given him, and he returned it in kind.

His hyper-sensitive hearing listened intently to her breathing and heartbeat, finding them rapidly accelerating, until he was sure she was past the right point.

Shinji's strategy was simple: minimal movements in order to conserve what energy he had left while he got his opponent to use as much of his, or her, own as possible. By tiring him/her out he would be able to gain an advantage.

However, Misao caught onto his little plan and backpedaled just a bit.

The pair squared off not a meter or two from each other, a satisfied smile on their lips.

"So... are we ready to do some hunting?" Misao asked.

"I think we are." Shinji replied.

Rei, however, hadn't blinked the entire time.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It was four days later.

Shinji had effectively recovered his strength and was back in his crimson outfit, billy clubs and all. Beside him were two new figures. Well... one was new.

Blue Oni flew across the night skyline to his right, feeling good to be back in her blue outfit again. The figure to his left, obviously older and much more shapely was dressed all in black leather pants and a small shirt that exposed her belly, but covered her arms all the way to her wrists. On the upper part of her back were strapped a pair of sais, three-pronged daggers with longer than normal middle blades. The lower half of her face covered by a small mask, only her eyes and upper part of her nose visible.

This was Misao, who had taken to calling herself Elektra, after the Greek tragedy, the personification of the passionate lust for vengeance.

(Though to be honest she had gotten it from a comic book, but wouldn't let Shinji know that.)

The trio leapt across the skyline of Tokyo-3, the boy leading his older sister back to where he had first encountered the assassin.

Granted it had been a week since then, but Shinji was convinced that there might be something.

"Nice to see you back to your normal self." Elektra said as she flipped across the expanse between the buildings.

"Guess all I needed was a swift kick to the head." Daredevil said as he ran along a wall and leaped off to the rooftop.

"Any time, little brother." she grinned.

Oni however thought the woman's healing technique could have used a gentler touch.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It was midnight when the trio arrived at the murder scene, after making Daredevil's usual rounds and taking care of six car thieves, four muggers, three kidnappers, and an arsonist.

The chalk outline was still present.

"So, this is where it happened." Elektra said.

"Yeah." Daredevil replied.

"I see the chalk outline."

"I don't." he said as he turned away from the outline.

"Don't, or don't want to."

"Don't go there. Now please be quiet." he said as he cleared his mind and extended all of his senses, his hearing and smell mostly.

Oni leaned over to Elektra.

"What is he doing?" she asked the older woman.

"Trying to get a lead on the man responsible for killing your Mr Ryoji, and our sensei, by using his enhanced sense of smell and hearing." she answered the younger girl.

"He told me about that." Oni replied. "Your sensei."

"I see. So... just how close are you two?"

"We are partners."

"So you two haven't..." Elektra's playfully tone apparent.

"That is not your business." Oni said sharply.

"So that would be a no, then." she grinned.

Oni glared at the woman.

"Got it!" Daredevil said, getting the pair's attention.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

In a seedy bar on the far end of town, the assassin Bullseye huffed as he tossed the last of the darts from his hands, missing the dartboard and impaling another innocent bystander in the forehead.

A second figure stepped out and looked around at all the dead bodies, more than a dozen, that littered the bar. He was a tall man in a dressed in black suit with red pinstripes, a black hat with a red band across it, and a black mask with red eyes.

"Nice to see your aim hasn't lost it's edge." the man said.

"You're late. I had to entertain myself." Bullseye said as he twirled another dart in his hand.

"Right. Couldn't just find yourself a woman and a room."

"What do you want, Fear Master?"

"That's 'Mr Fear' to you, hitman." the man said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Bullseye waved him off. "You know, I'm sure the Yakuza would be pretty interested in knowing you've hired me, an outsider, to do a job you were supposed to do."

"Outsourcing is a typical business strategy. And this is a standard business deal."

"So was taking out Boss Nakatomo so your current boss could assume power."

"We paid you well for that, and to _never_ talk about it. However, right now there is a job that I need done, and I can't risk exposing myself just yet."

"Becoming quite high in the ranks, aren't you."

"Yes. Now, about this job?"

"Just tell me it's a challenge and pays well."

"Oh, it's quite challenging. And the pay will be quite worth it."

"And just who would..."

CRASH!

The two men turned around to see a trio of figures explode into the bar through the large window.

Bullseye recognized Daredevil instantly. The two, obviously female figures, he didn't.

"What the..." Mr Fear gasped.

"Well, well, well. Look who's here. And you brought groupies." Bullseye said.

"Bullseye!" Daredevil growled in a deep tone.

"At your service." the assassin grinned and bowed.

"Then do us a service... and die!" he growled as he pulled his billy club.

"Stop!" Mr Fear exclaimed, holding up his hand to the three vigilantes.

"Pardon?" Elektra gasped.

"I have a business transaction to complete with this man, so I'm afraid you'll have to settle for an appropriate substitute." he said as he snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, two dozen red-garbed ninjas appeared out of nowhere.

"What? The Hand?" Elektra gasped.

"Who's hand?" Blue Oni asked.

"They're a clan of ninja assassins." she explained as she pulled her sais.

"Only two dozen. This is appropriate?" Bullseye asked as the ninja's attacked the trio. "I'm a little insulted."

"If I'd known you were being hunted by a trio of vigilantes, I'd have brought more." Mr Fear said as he lead Bullseye out the back door. "This intervention is unfortunate, but it won't interrupt our plans. Or your assignment."

"And what about this Daredevil and his allies?"

"We'll have to find another way to deal with them."

"The Devil is Mine!" Bullseye declared strongly.

"Fine, but later!" Mr Fear said as he and Bullseye vanished into the night.

Daredevil leaped over two ninjas and split-kick the two behind them. He landed and quickly spun around to knock the heads of the two other ninjas with his billy clubs. Two more ninja attacked him, but he easily avoided their weapon strikes, enough to dip low, move in, and then shoot straight up to uppercut both of their jaws in one deft move. A seventh ninja attacked, armed with a spear, only to have Daredevil throw one of his clubs at the ninja and strike him dead center in the forehead. His last foe tried to sneak attack him from behind, only to have Daredevil jerk his head to the side as his ricocheting billy club flew past his head and knocked the ninja between the eyes.

Blue Oni easily side-stepped an advancing ninja, and elbowed another one in the jaw. She grabbed his sword and brought it up to block the blades of another ninja. A fourth ninja leaped into the air and came down hard upon her, but thanks to Daredevil's teachings she was able to dodge it in time, allowing the sword-wielding ninja she was fighting to receive the blow. She quickly leaped into the air and kicked her attacker down. She tossed the sword away and grabbed the nunchucks that he had dropped. Spinning them wildly she attacked three more ninjas and impacted all their faces, including the ninja she had side-stepped earlier. Her last two opponents charged as one, but Oni's uncanny grace enabled her to leap high into the air to avoid their weapons, and strike them hard in their faces.

Elektra quickly used her sais to disarm the attacking ninja, then flew into the air and kicked both of them down, twisting in mid-air and stabbing a third one in the chest before landing, removing the blade, and throwing a right-cross that knocked him cold. Another ninja attacked, but her reached out and gabbed his shirt, pulling him back and tossing him, blade first, into a ninja that was behind her, rendering them both unconscious. The last three lunged at her, causing the woman to toss her sais into the air, spinning wildly as a brief distraction while she lunged forward, lashing out with fists and feet and knocking the last three ninja out cold.

Their enemies defeated, the three vigilantes looked around in disgust that their true target was gone.

"He's gone!" Daredevil growled as he kicked over a table, slamming it against the wall.

"Yes. But he will not be able to hide now, and we know he's been asked to take another job." Oni said, trying to look on the positive side.

"But we don't know how long he'll be here, or where his next job will be." Elektra growled, sharing Daredevil's concern.

"Perhaps one of these ninjas can tell us." Oni pointed to the defeated ninjas.

"Flunkies wouldn't have been told anything about their bosses plans." Elektra scoffed.

"Yes we do!" one of the ninjas croaked, his pride objecting to being called a mere flunky.

_Idiot_! Daredevil grinned as Elektra grabbed the ninja and stuck her sai up his nose. Not enough to draw blood, but enough to make her point crystal clear.

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It was two days later and both Shinji and Rei were back at NERV.

Elektra's interrogation of the ninja revealed that Bullseye had been hired to do a job overseas, but that he would be coming back to do a job for the Yakuza in Tokyo-3 within a few days. Apparently the jobs were linked, so for now the team chose to wait.

And that meant that both Shinji and Rei had to report to NERV for a new mission.

"You want us to catch the Angel with our hands?" Asuka shouted as soon s she heard about the new threat that the 10th Angel posed.

"That's right." Misato said, bringing up an image of the Angel on the monitor.

It looked like a gigantic orange eye with weird looking antenna's on it's sides.

"That's insane!" the redhead cried.

"Welcome to NERV." the woman replied.

"Here's the area we think that the Angel is capable of destroying if it lands." Ritsuko said as she brought up a large map of Tokyo-3 on the main monitor. The digital map of the city was basically green for the forests and hills and blue for the buildings, but had a large red circle that covered nearly all of Tokyo-3.

"That's a HUGE area!" Asuka shouted.

"It could fall within this range?" Rei asked, gasping as well at the gigantic area.

"The Eva's will be situated at different dispersal points to intercept the Angel when it falls." Misato said, changing the image of the red circle into three smaller red circles around the city.

These circles indicted where Unit's 00, 01 and 02 would be positioned.

"What's this dispersal pattern based on?" Shinji asked as he ran his fingers over a 3-D map of the area, map provided by Ritsuko, that Misato was suggesting. "You have got to be kidding me." he said as Rei showed him physically the area Misato was suggesting.

"I know." the blue-haired girl said.

"Uh... based on?" Misato blushed a little, glad that Shinji couldn't see her.

But he felt her body temperature rise, which made him suspicious and fearful when she said that.

"What is this information based on?" Rei asked the question again.

"A guess." Misato answered.

"A GUESS?" Asuka screamed.

"It's woman's intuition!" Misato defended.

"Her woman's intuition." the redhead grumbled. "We're dead."

"Yup." Shinji replied as Rei nodded.

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Shinji was situated in his Evangelion just waiting for deployment. His special headgear, which had jokingly become referred to as The E-Visor (Eva-Visor) as it was basically an interface system specifically for Shinji and could only be used inside the Eva, was over his face.

Rei was situated in her Eva, arms folded over her chest, her eyes closed. She looked like she was taking a nap.

Asuka was listening to her music via her own SDAT, trying to get a positive vibe going for this insane mission.

_I wonder if anyone see's the irony of letting the blind guy 'catch' something the size of a small town._ Shinji wondered as the order suddenly came in.

(The Angel's Entered The Drop Zone! Eva's Intercept!) Misato shouted.

However, Shinji was lost in his own thoughts, and failed to heed the call as Rei and Asuka departed.

(SHINJI! What are you waiting for?)

"Huh? What?"

(GET YOUR EVA MOVING!)

Shinji reacted with blinding speed, his reflexes pushing the Eva at a quicker pace than that of Rei or Asuka.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Shinji's Moving!" Maya cried from her console.

"About time!" Misato huffed.

"Give him a break, Misato." Ritsuko said. "He is blind after all."

"Don't make excuses, Ritz! You know that's not a real issue with Shinji."

"Then something else must be wrong. I'll preform an examination on him later."

"If there is a later." Misato huffed.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji raced across the uneven terrain, even though it was through the city, his radar senses maxing out to a truly superhuman degree as his E-Visor gave him the heads up as well.

_It has to be close_. Shinji thought as he continued to push his Eva towards the presumed landing spot. _But where... _

(Shinji!) Misato shouted.

"I'm a little busy, Misato!" he cried as he continued running.

(The Magi predict that you're less than a mile away!)

"I SEE IT!" he shouted.

(See it? How?)

"Figure of speech!" Shinji shouted as his Eva raced up the large hill that the Angel was coming down upon. "AT-FIELD NOW!" he shouted.

The energy exploded from his Eva as the Angel landed directly on top of him. Shinji pushed back with all his might, his concentration maxed out to an incredible degree, which also pushed his synch ratio even higher.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Captain! Sempai!" Maya shouted.

"What is it, Maya?" Ritsuko asked.

"It's Shinji's synch ratio! It's over 150!"

"WHAT?" the pair shouted.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Rei and Asuka finally managed to get a bead on where Shinji and the Angel were, racing up the hill to get to their male partner.

"Unit 02! Raise AT-Field!" Rei shouted as she pulled up alongside Shinji and helped him push.

"Right!" Asuka shouted as she extended her own field, pulling her Prog. Knife from her shoulder pylon and stabbing at the weakened field.

The blade cut through the field and lanced at the Angel, right in the center of it's eye.

Within seconds, the Angel exploded with immense force, the three Eva's and their pilots the only survivors.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It was hours later. The city's population had returned, the mess all cleaned up, the Eva's were all repaired, Shinji had been mildly chewed out by Misato about being alert (mildly only because all of NERV was fully aware of his handicap) and Ritsuko had requested that Shinji be sent to her for an examination.

It was something he wasn't really looking forward to. Mostly because Ritsuko would be curious as to where his unusual scars had come from.

"Dr Akagi?" Shinji asked as he softly knocked on the door, hoping that she would be too busy to see him today.

However, Ritsuko had seen that tactic used many times.

"Hello, Shinji." Ritsuko said as she opened the door to her office to let the young man in.

"So... what are these tests you needed to see me about?" Shinji asked the rather rhetorical question.

"Well, given your performance against the Angel..."

"But didn't I reach the Angel first?" he asked.

"Yes, you did. If you hadn't we would have all been destroyed. Well, except for you, Rei and Asuka since you were all inside the Eva's."

"Right."

"But to help get Misato off your back regarding your late start, an examination was the best I could come up with. That, and I was curious as to your late start as well."

"I'm sorry. I was... distracted."

"Which is what I wanted to talk about. This is war, Shinji-kun. If you get distracted by something else, you, and others, will die. I'm sure you know this, but I just wanted to make sure that whatever issues you have, are effectively resolved. Alright?"

"Of course."

"Good. Now, get undressed and put this on." she said, thrusting a standard hospital dress gown into his chest.

"Huh?"

"I need to do both a physical and psychological examination of you." she explained.

_Here's hoping she's not trying to seduce me._ Shinji said as he got undressed and put on the gown.

_Whoa!_ Ritsuko blushed as she took in the healthy physique that Shinji had. _Yeah, I'd hit that_. She thought and then chided herself for her childish thoughts. She wasn't a hormonal crazed teenager like Misato was, but she couldn't deny it had been a while since anything good. _I'm getting turned on just by looking at him_! She realized as Shinji finished putting on the gown and found the examination table.

He turned back to the direction Ritsuko was, sensing the increasing body temperature and heart beat within her._ Uh-oh. I think she's getting turned on by this. _He thought. _Not that Ritsuko isn't a nice lady, but she seems... conflicted about some things. Wonder what?_ He mused. _Right! This is NERV. Nothing in this place is ever so straightforward. Not with my 'father' involved. _

Steeling her emotions, Ritsuko walked over to Shinji and pull up a chair.

"Alright, Shinji, we'll start with the physical examination, get that out of the way. Alright?" Ritsuko asked.

"Alright." he nodded.

"And relax. I'm a doctor. I'm sure you don't have anything I haven't seen before."

_Oh, here we go._ He thought.

_And here we go._ She thought.

Ritsuko pulled down the gown so that it rested in his lap, his upper body exposed to the woman.

"Wow, Shinji. You certainly have kept up with your exercises." Ritsuko exclaimed.

"Not much else for a blind guy to do, right?" he asked as she took in his physique.

"Well, I'm sure you could find something to do." she replied. _Or someone_.

Ritsuko stated with a simple palpate of his torso, running her fingers over the many scars and bruises that he had received as Daredevil.

"Where did you get these scars, Shinji-kun?" she wondered.

"You'd be surprised at how many injuries a guy can get when he hasn't mastered getting around on his own." he replied.

_Something's not right. Some of these look... recent._ She thought. _But Shinji wouldn't get into fights on his own, and no one would willingly attack a blind man. So where..._ "Shinji, have you been in a fight recently?"

"Just with the Angel." he answered.

_Right. Somehow I doubt these scars came from that._ She mused, making some notes on her clipboard and then turned back to Shinji. Taking out a stethoscope, she placed the metal end on Shinji's chest. "Now just breath easily."

Shinji breathed in and out as Ritsuko listened.

"Not bad. Respiratory system seems to be working properly." she said, removing the stethoscope and moving on to his arms. Gripping and massaging the arms she felt nothing unusual, except the results of his workouts and crime fighting activities. _My god! So firm and developed. Where have you been all my life?_ She wondered.

Shinji heard her heart pick up pace, and turned to face her. "Is everything alright, Ritsuko?"

"Uh.. yes. Very good. Nothing wrong. Though I think you might want to be careful."

"I'll try." he said as he pulled up his gown once Ritsuko was done.

"Now, I need to get a blood sample from you." she said.

"Alright." he said, unsure if losing more blood was a good idea, but not wanting to be arouse any kind of suspicion by not doing it, so he gave her his arm.

A minute late, the extraction done, Ritsuko labeled the test bottle and sent it to the lab.

"Now, Shinji-kun, I have a psychological questionnaire for you to answer."

"Alright." he said with an uncomfortable sigh.

"I know this is inconvenient for you, but orders are orders."

"Right. What do you want to know?"

"Just the usual. Are you sleeping well? Have you had anything unusual happen to you that could be distracting you from your work? Have you had sex with anyone?"

"What?" he gasped at the last question.

"Did the last one throw you?" Ritsuko giggled. "Must have. You look flushed."

"That's not... I mean..."

"It's a personal question, I know. But as I'm sure you know, physical intimacy can have effects on a person in more than one way."

"Such as... distracting them from catching a giant Angel?"

"Precisely."

Shinji paused for few moments, thinking this might be helpful to him.

"I guess I really haven't been sleeping regularly. Some times I can't sleep."

"Anything in particular you want to talk about?"

_Nothing you could help me with_. He thought. "No."

"Shinji, this is important. I need to know these things in order to help you."

"And if I wasn't comfortable telling you this?" he asked.

"Because you don't trust me."

"That's part of it."

"And the other part?" she asked, curiously.

"I don't want you getting hurt?"

Ritsuko stared at the young man with a strange look in her eye. She felt both touched by his concern and curious as to what could be so bad that he would try to protect her from it.

"Danger is where I live, Shinji-kun." she said. "Where we all live. This war is nothing but dangerous, for all involved, not just you pilots, right?" she said, sitting down next to him.

"And if it wasn't this war I was talking about?" he asked.

"Then something else, something closer." she deduced. "Something... local." her mind started to go into overdrive at what he was insinuating. "That's why you can't trust me, isn't it? It's something local... like... criminal?"

When Shinji didn't answer right away, Ritsuko knew she had hit the nail on the head.

"You don't seem like the type to get into such trouble. So how bad could it be?"

"The less you know the better."

"Well, you've got me curious, and if this is a matter that could affect your piloting, as well as put the whole of the world in danger, then it's my responsibility to know what it is so I can change it." She explained.

_Right. If you haven't figured it out by now._ Shinji thought as he turned to the woman, putting his relationship issues before her so that she wouldn't even suspect his Daredevil problems. "I slept with Misato." he said.

"WHAT?" She gasped, obvious upset in her voice. "When Was This?"

"Right before I was moved into my new apartment."

_That was a nearly two months ago!_ "I see." she said calmly. "And did you sleep with her, or did you 'sleep' with her?" she asked, trying to be specific.

"Sleep, as in sex." he explained.

Shinji suddenly felt Ritsuko's blood-pressure skyrocket.

_GOD DAMN IT MISATO! First Kaji Now Shinji?_ She fumed, so upset that she didn't bother to comprehend how this whole thing could be dangerous or criminal as Shinji let on. _Why do you have to take all the cute guys? _She_ g_rowled, then paused. _Wait a minute!_ "You said you slept with her before you moved out... and that was it?"

"Yes."

"So... what's the problem? Can't get over her, or you haven't found someone since who could ever measure up?"

"It's... not so simple."

The delicate pause prompted Ritsuko to ask something else.

"She was your first, wasn't she?" she asked, trying to be delicate.

"Yes." he replied.

"I see. And you're wondering what would have happened if you'd stayed with her at her apartment instead of having me move you out?"

"Sort of." he said. "I'm sure most girls don't find a blind guy to be the most... effective boyfriend around. High maintenance and all."

"But you're not." she argued. "You actually cooked for and cleaned up after Misato. That's why I moved you out."

Turning to look at the woman, Shinji smiled. "I know. And it's not that I'm not grateful, it's just.." he paused, the silence telling Ritsuko he wasn't comfortable talking about it.

She put her hand over his to reassure him.

"Hey. It's alright. I won't tell anyone. But if this is bothering you now, maybe... you should try to take your mind off of it."

Shinji internally smiled, knowing that he had at least gotten Ritsuko away from finding out about his dual-life as Daredevil. Ritsuko was a smart woman and would have eventually figured it out, but now there was this issue to deal with.

"It's not something you can forget." he said.

"True. But maybe we could do something to take your mind off it for now."

"Like what?" he wondered as Ritsuko touched his cheek and turned his face to her own, her lips pressing against his own.

Shinji felt his blood rise as her kiss drew him in. _Never thought she had soft lips_. He thought as she drew her hand down his chest. _Oh, yeah, she's trying to seduce me._ "Ritsuko." he said, gently pushing the woman from him. "I... don't think this is a good idea."

"Why not? I think we both want, need, this, Shinji-kun." she said huskily.

"And you're not worried about..."

"What?" she asked, softly undoing her own blouse. "Doing it with a blind man?"

"Yes." he asked, hearing her buttons coming undone.

"If I was worried, I wouldn't have kissed you." she said, getting closer to her in order to nuzzle his cheek with her nose. "Even if it's just this once, Shinji-kun, I think this will help alleviate both of our troubles."

_Both_? He wondered. "You have some troubles also?"

"You have no idea. So please... don't deny me this." she whispered, the young man hearing her blouse fall to the floor.

Shinji sighed as he drew the woman to her, and soothed both of their troubles.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Author's Notes:

Well, I know it's been a long while since I updated this story, so I hope everyone is satisfied with this latest chapter.

It's about 17 pages on my computer, so it's not a lite chapter.

And yes, I did have Misao in the role of Elektra, I did have The Hand show up, and I did have Shinji sleep with Ritsuko. Also, Mr Fear is a Daredevil villain, and that identity has actually been used by four different people over the comic years.

The first was Zoltan Drago, a failing wax museum owner who tried to bring his wax statues to life, only to find out the gas he used could evoke fear in anyone who breathed it.

The second was Starr Saxon, a criminal engineer who created a bunch of robotic assassins that Daredevil defeated.

The third was Larry Cranston, a former law student alongside Matt Murdock whose reasons for becoming a villain were never really explained.

The fourth was Alan Fagan, nephew of the third Mister Fear who's primary enemy was actually Spider Man, not Daredevil.

Anyway, this is my update for this story, so please give me good reviews and all.

And I'll probably toss in some omake's in the next chapter. (I'm too tired right now.)


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